If I had to choose one example of why the upcoming Police and Crime Commissioner elections signified a new era of ridiculous policy backed by little or no actual experience of what Policing means then one of todays local papers has provided me with a clear winner. Rather than talking about strategic policy, making some common sense suggestions about budgets vs officer numbers, one candidate has decided that he will be able to solve all the problems in his area by going straight for the jugular (forgive the pun) and campaigning to reinstate the legislation that abolished the Death Penalty nearly 50 years ago. This is, not only, completely unrealistic but shows little or no grasp of what might actually make a difference in the current climate. Still at least this will get his campaign a little publicity!
A Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) candidate has called for the death penalty for police murderers and paedophilic child killers. Kevin Carroll, the British Freedom party candidate for Bedfordshire, issued a strongly worded call for saying offenders of such crimes must “swing for it”. He was referring to the deaths of Greater Manchester Police constables Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone who were killed in the line of duty in a gun and grenade attack in Thameside, Greater Manchester on September 18.
Mr Carroll called the double killing “an awful reminder of the risks police face every day to keep our communities safe”. His election manifesto promises tough action against violent crime, including a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ for possession of knives and other deadly weapons. He said: “Would-be criminals must be given advance warning that if they murder a police officer or abduct and kill a child they will swing for it. This is not just about deterrence but about getting our priorities right as a society and about seeing that justice is done for victims’ families.
“We need to remember what a dangerous job officers face in keeping our communities safe. These brave men and women need to know that the public are behind them and that we won’t tolerate violence against them”
He continued:
“My goal as commissioner will be to make Bedfordshire a place where violent criminals truly fear the law.”
While the level of sentencing handed down by the courts is severely lacking in respect of many offences and even more so in relation to those who make repeated appearances before the bench. Even if he got his way this change would make no tangible difference to the vast majority of offenders or offending levels. Surely a more sensible approach would be to stop the pattern of offending before it got to the point when bullets got fired and officers died, or to develop a budgetary strategy that allowed for a realistic level of savings without slashing officer numbers or putting them at more risk than already exists – the Fed could give him a few pointers if he asked I am sure!
Information and quotes courtesy of ‘Bedfordshire on Sunday’
