Private Police forces

[R_Squared]

I don't see the problem myself, if nothing else then at least they are a visual deterrent and a couple of extra witness' should it all go pear shaped.

Private Police provoke concern

 

[GD on Wheels]

Well what else do they expect. In some places you never see a copper from one day to the next, and when you do call them they hardley ever turn up. And like every one else these patrols have the power of citizens arrest. So over all the police have only them selves to blame.

 

[PTR Hoar]

likewise i don't see a problem with it, charging £2 to £3.50 a house for patrols...does't sound like bad value to me if it works. But then again if we had more police it may not be an issue, then again, like us, not enough people for the job i guess.

 

[ninjarabbi]

I don't think that there is a lack of police. The problem seems to lie in how they're actually deployed, they seem to either stay in their cars or be sat behind a desk in a police station filling in paperwork. The idea of a clearly visible deterrent, albeit a private security company is always going to be welcomed.

 

[Toonman]

Hopefully the companies who employ these people will do proper checks on them as it would be perfect cover for those who want to suss out properties that are empty. It will also depend on the training they are given as to what powers they have. All you will need is one of them to overstep the mark when they are given cheek by one of the young scrotes they meet and all hell will break loose.

 

[Rigga]

Remember the days when the RAF had its own police force and they used to do patrolling around stations and checking that all the windows and doors were locked and that everything was secure - and we all laid in our beds with that security in our dreams?

I used to believe that too - until I got to Honington. We all assumed that the security bliss was still intact at this high security atomically laden airfield....but some of the highly qualified local security force were actually breaking into all the Tea-bars and helping themselves to a few midnight snacks.

It was reported in the local Rag as "Have a break-in have a Kit-Kat"

 

[Boots]

Ganglands 1st step

Ganglands 1st step

I see this a move into the hands of the crooks. If these schemes become successfull they will also then become the realm of the gangland criminal. Much in the sameway as pub doors are ran, I predict a situation of council estate racketeering where the poor people now pledging £3/wk for a bit peace of mind will pay the money as a safety tax. Maybe this is an extreme view. Surely though it's not extreme to say that the organisations competeing for this business will be populated by the type of people not adverse to using underhand tactics to ensure they earn as much money as possible.

I'm very worried with this whole situation.

 

[R_Squared]

As with doormen, licensing and regulation would have to come into play here.
If properly trained, monitored and standardised they could easily be able to handle most situations legally.

I think the idea of a "protection racket" whilst possible, could be dealt with if this new business is sorted from the very beginning.

 

[he_who_dares_rodney]

I personally wouldn't mind paying £5 p.w. to a couple of lads If they go out and baseball bat every Chav and pikey and make my area a safe no go area for scum it'll be money well spent

Now theres an idea

I have a baseball bat and some proper hard mates

This time next year we'll be millionaires

 

[Boots]

I agree in principal r0jaws, but imagine the amount of desk police it'll take to oversee all of this. Why not jsut get the police to get the little runts sorted in the first place. I'm sure you'd agree with me there.

Or alternatively turn a blind eye whilst he who dares and his tough mates get down to some correctional activities with the willow, which also sounds good.

 

[Vushtrri]

For those that think this poxy idea is a solution to our woes...

I assume that in an effort to stamp out the behaviour you wish to see eradicated from our streets you would wish to have at least two of these local sherriffs on every street in the UK.....

If not, what will be your response when something happens on your street whilst these zombies are half a mile away.....

ah yes.........call the police!..........and ask for your £5 back!

 

[PTR Hoar]

But the estates that were asked about this said that when they called the police it sometimes took hours upon hours to get someone over but when they called their fancy new service they got a response within 5 mins. Can't be all bad surely?

 

[R_Squared]

For those that think this poxy idea is a solution to our woes...

So, what's your solution then?

If it's the money that's bothering you, we could always start a vigilante group, that's free.

Or perhaps you would prefer we just use a few neighbourhood watch stickers? We all know thieves tremble at the sight of those.

This is a well established and used idea in the UK already. Most business' that use Doormen are in effect hiring their own private security force. Is that a poxy idea?

Or is this just a knee jerk reaction to something which you see as a threat to your authority.

 

[monobrow]

Can't be all bad surely?

Except they don't really have any "powers" to deal with crime do they? They could shout nasty things loudly I suppose, but you just need to take a stroll down any town center after dark for that, and you don't even have to pay for it.

 

[R_Squared]

They don't need 'special powers' to be effective. Merely having a uniformed presence will act as a deterrent to most crime in any area.

You don't have to do much, just be there as a witness. They will still have to call the police to actually report a crime in progress. But, like doormen, they can still act to either deter theft, calm a potentially volatile situation or help someone who needs it until the police actually arrive.

Plod are not being replaced, just supplemented. Even if they do fcuk all except give a few old dears a bit of piece of mind at night, they could be considered to be worth the money.

If this is something someone wants to spend their cash on, well it's upto them. No one gets their knickers in a twist over people who can't afford Burglar Alarms, CCTV, or the latest toughened security windows and doors. If people can afford it, and feel they need to, they will spend money to protect themselves, their families and their property.

 

[Dave-exfairy]

But the estates that were asked about this said that when they called the police it sometimes took hours upon hours to get someone over but when they called their fancy new service they got a response within 5 mins. Can't be all bad surely?

They got a response within 5 mins because unlike the Police, these Walts are doing feck all. I've never had a quiet shift, if it's not from job to job to job, i'm generating my own work or dealing with ongoing cases, unlike these muppets. They have no powers, no 'cuffs, batons or CS spray and as for being a "uniformed" presence, don't make me laugh, i'd rather have a PCSO out there than these to$$ers.

 

[PTR Hoar]

I'm by no means saying that coppers are doing nothing, with mates in the force im well aware how busy they can be, but until that glorious day when we have more police officers out there to ease the strain someone is going to fill the gap. Supply and demand and all that jazz.

 

[R_Squared]

They haven't got horses and water cannon either, but that doesn't matter, it's not their job to arrest anyone.

I'm sure nobody would pay for these firms if there were police officers and PCSOs about patrolling in their neighbourhoods, but they're not.

What do you think the people paying for them should do? Or are you just going to slag off the security firms as walts without thinking about why they are even there in the first place?

What's your take on security guards in Malls, car parks and the like. Should we just bin them as well as they are an affront to you?

 

[Vushtrri]

But the estates that were asked about this said that when they called the police it sometimes took hours upon hours to get someone over but when they called their fancy new service they got a response within 5 mins. Can't be all bad surely?

My point being...........As a plod I cover one hell of a large area single manned....hence the delay in my getting to jobs within a few minutes of it being rung in.

If you would wish for everyone to get a response from this fancy new service within 5 minutes you would be talking of hundreds of staff for even the smallest of towns..times that by 3 to cover 24 hrs a day. For an inner city such as manchester &its surrounding housing estates you would be talking thousands on each of the three shifts to provide the cover that you expect................Do you really think that is feasible?

Cloud cuckoo land springs to mind!

Do I regard such ideas as a threat to the police?...No not at all, I think I am just being realistic

 

[Vushtrri]

So, what's your solution then?

If it's the money that's bothering you, we could always start a vigilante group, that's free.

Or perhaps you would prefer we just use a few neighbourhood watch stickers? We all know thieves tremble at the sight of those.

This is a well established and used idea in the UK already. Most business' that use Doormen are in effect hiring their own private security force. Is that a poxy idea?

Or is this just a knee jerk reaction to something which you see as a threat to your authority.

Yes vigilante groups are free............ how many were you planning on having per 1000 population and will they also patrol isolated rural areas and industrial sites.

Doormen............ a static security guard........who does very little to dter anti social behaviour on the streets and even less on housing estates!

A threat to my authority?.............No, about as much threat as a Tescos security guard.... I think successive governments have been more of a threat over the years .