Commentary
| Published date | 01 January 1996 |
| Date | 01 January 1996 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X9606900101 |
| Subject Matter | Commentary |
TbePOLlCE
JOURNM
A
Major
Effort
Support for the police in their fight against crime and disorder was one of
the highlights of the Prime Minister's speech at the Conservative Party
Conference in October. As well as indicating an imminent change in the
law to enable the Security Serviceto engagein the battle againstorganized
crime, he pledged an increase in financial resources to provide for the
recruitment
of
an extra5,000 police officers on the beat over the next three
years and an additional 10,000 closed circuit television cameras in town
centres, shopping malls and public places across the country, to be
installedoverthe same period. Doubtless,chiefconstables acclaimedthis
very welcomenews inpublic, although most
of
them probablyexperienced
in private a feeling of stunned shock, of a kind normally felt by big winners
on the National Lottery.
As has been stated before, The Police Journal agrees heartily with the
tradition oflocal police forces and with all that that entails, including local
links and local pride in the force, but it also supports the notion of a national
effort, under police leadership, to deal with organized crime. As pointed
out by the Prime Minister, the nucleus is already in position in the form of
the National Criminal Intelligence Service (working with Regional Crime
squads), HM Customs and Government Communications Headquarters,
and the addition of the Security Service to this force makes good sense.
Recorded crime has fallen over the past two years - a fall which can be
attributed in part to the practice of targeting professional criminals and
other local police initiatives. With the spreading of good practice and new
ideas, plus the proposed coordinated efforts on a national scale, even more
villains will be 'volunteering' for service behind bars and, concomitantly,
others will think twice before offending, for as the Lord
Chief
Justice, Lord
Taylor, said recently "the prospect of being caught is the most effective
deterrent".
Equally, the promise of 10,000 more cameras is a positive action
deserving of applause. The proven success of closed circuit television
cameras, particularly in town centres and public car parks, with some
forces reportingsubstantialreductions in crimes involving motorvehicles,
has been well documented. The prospect ofenhancingthese achievements
January 1996 The Police Journal 1
To continue reading
Request your trial