13. Apr. 2010. – 18:03:18
Greater Manchester Police have
been the subject of a few posts on this blog 26th February included. I`ve also
commented unfavourably on the various non police officiates who are regular
sights on our streets and who have varying powers the limits of which are not
generally known to most people. That aspect of this whole "cheap"
policing is not just a factor to be accepted eg bouncers now euphemistically
known I believe as door operatives have been given limited powers to hand out
instant fines for offences from drinking in an illegal area to disorder, harassment,
fly posting and dog fouling.
It is an affront to society to
allow groups of people to have so much power and so many varied reasons to
question, detain or fine citizens. It often leads to their authority being
questioned and that leads some individuals into full face contact with proper
police officialdom.
GMP are now abrogating their
policing of Oldham`s Metro system. They are creating eighty "Travel Safe
Officers" to issue fixed penalty notices, confiscate alcohol and
cigarettes, direct traffic, and share police intelligence. And of course they
will be issued with that essential requirement of authority on the streets or
in this case on the trams; a uniform. Metrolink director Philip Purdy is quoted
as saying that during a station block TSOs will be stationed at all entrances
and exits to and from the tram stop. A separate team will then board each tram
passing through the stop and check tickets. He continued, “The operation is
highly visible, acting as a deterrent to other passengers who may consider
travelling without a ticket.”
If those responsible admitted
that all this delegation of powers is primarily because of the cost saved by
employing at low wages those who are not capable of being police officers and
therefore benefits the public purse we could have an honest discussion but when
we are treated to bland statements that it is all for the public`s benefit it
just adds another layer to general disillusion about the type of society that
we are becoming; a society where there is uniformed authority with little or no
discretion which is empowered to issue various penalty notices acting as
police, judge and jury.
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