Not sure how new this news is, but it was on front page of yesterday's Telegraph (link to Telegraph website): tinyurl.com/6pe9yn
Civilians given power to issue on-the-spot fines
Local government officials and private security workers have been given police powers to enforce on-the-spot fines for littering, dog fouling and motoring offences.
Despite lacking formal police training, hundreds of civilians have been made part of the "extended police family" by the Home Office under little-known legislation.
They have not been asked to wear any special uniforms to identify themselves, but must wear only a badge that can be as small as 73mm x 80mm.
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Another 255 people have been given powers as Vehicle Operator Services Agency Inspectors, who are issued with the single power to stop vehicles for the purpose of testing.
For full report see link.
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The headline says
"Civilians given power to issue on-the-spot fines."
Further down, the article says
"The schemes, introduced in 2002 legislation, give chief constables the power to serve penalty notices ..............."
Since whoever wrote the article can't make up his mind exactly who has been given these vague powers I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.
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Have a look at:
tinyurl.com/5jqwfd
We are gradually descending, due to public apathy, into a totalitarian state it would appear.
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tinyurl.com/5jqwfd
I agree with it. Litter bugs should be punished. The public needs to be taught that dropping litter is wrong. In some countries you see hardly any litter.
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>> tinyurl.com/5jqwfd >> I agree with it. Litter bugs should be punished. The public needs to be taught that dropping litter is wrong. In some countries you see hardly any litter.
That, to me, translates as "I love Big Brother". In some countries you see hardly any litter - but I bet they're not totalitarian states where the population is routinely monitored, tracked, recorded and punished for the most trivial things.
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That, to me, translates as "I love Big Brother". In some countries you see hardly any litter - but I bet they're not totalitarian states where the population is routinely monitored, tracked, recorded and punished for the most trivial things.
No but they tend to be countries where the population respect the law and it is enforced. Dropping litter is not a trivial problem - it cost millions to deal with and make an area unpleasant to live in
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"That, to me, translates as "I love Big Brother". In some countries you see hardly any litter - but I bet they're not totalitarian states where the population is routinely monitored, tracked, recorded and punished for the most trivial things."
They are in Germany thats why its still a reasonable pleasant place to live.
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No but they tend to be countries where the population respect the law and it is enforced.
I agree! You only have to travel to mainland Europe to see how differently kids behave, and how much more respect and pride people have in their environment and themselves. Plus of course, how much more is spent on maintenance and upkeep of infrastructure.
We've become a nanny state, and just as it has in all of them in history, personal responsibility and accountability are being wiped out. Drop litter? No problem, someone will pick it up. Become a one family crime wave and get kicked out of your council house? No problem, the council will re-house you. Get an ASBO? Hey it's a status symbol, innit?
All the government can do now is introduce pointless, toothless "enforcement" like this to make themselves seen to be doing something. It's why motorists get hammered - they're easy and good for the figures. There are more and more laws (3,000 since 1997), but no police to enforce them. Civilian enforcement is cheap and easy.
It will get worse.
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There are lots of circumstances in everyday life where one can be forced to pay a penalty. If I keep my pedalo for longer than the hour I have hired it for I may have to pay a penalty to the park keeper. But these are not fines in the true sense. A fine is imposed via some delegation of the judicial process and results in a criminal record. Is that what is involved here?
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Correct Cliff - they aren't fines they are penalty charges so no criminal record. Fines can only be imposed by a Court.
If you want to see how far this can go google "sausage roll litter hull".
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I'm going to start issuing on-the-spot-penalty charges to any cold-calling sales people who call at my door!
Edited by Sofa Spud on 28/08/2008 at 14:49
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And now back to motoring. DD.
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The easy solution to all this is for you to be law-abiding.
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So you never drive over 70 mph on motorways? :o)
Some of police/council workers' stupidity I read on newspapers goes beyond any logic. On these cases, what appears to be a common sense becomes a penalty charge.
Eg. penalty charge because you filled your bin up by 1 inch.
Edited by movilogo on 28/08/2008 at 15:23
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Given the PCSO Muppets in this video,the whole thing scares me stupid. As regards our rights forget it!
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RKl2sEN4yNM
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Only a civilian
I?m only a civilian ?
Just one of sixty million ?
With no uniform or helmet to my name;
But I can spread black harm
With my practised writing arm,
By smearing hapless motorists in blame.
For I have it in my heart
To play a modest part
In the system as of all spare cash it trims us;
I will freeze your soul with fear
If your mobile?s to your ear,
And send NIPs and PCNs to all non-mimsers.
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Now that is something I have missed.
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Given the PCSO Muppets in this video the whole thing scares me stupid. As regards our rights forget it!
The guy with the Himmler specs and the foreign accent needs serious re-training, the older bod really does little more than look embarassed.
Having said that the camera operator did seem to track and focus on the PCSO - was there perhaps some previous between them???
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Eg. penalty charge because you filled your bin up by 1 inch.
Where there's a rule like this there has to be a hard and fast upper limit which cannot be exceeded. Manufacturing dimensions have upper and lower limits. For bins the upper limit of rubbish level is that the lid should shut under its own weight. Simple. No scope for argument.
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i was severely stood on by a jack booted librarian last monday for being over due with two library books, on the spot fine..68p and presumably black marked on their database, what is the world coming to?
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