effective policing

  Stories about effective policing being overtaken by cost considerations are becoming depressing. The latest story about a cyclist being “allowed” a choice of  a 20 minute slot of CCTV footage, as an example of a police investigation is not just laughable, it is a case of the public being defrauded. We pay for a service, which is not being supplied. Any private organisation offering this level of service would be the subject of investigation, yet we are expected to accept it.

In this particular case, why can such CCTV footage not be freely available to the public over the Internet? I see no difference between snoopy, old Mrs. McNosy whiling away her hours watching  me walk down a city street and Mr. Plod watching out for people parking on double yellow lines.

At least Mrs. McNosy doesn’t charge us for her vigilance and could act as a witness, with hard copy evidence of crimes committed.

Or is that the flaw? Would it mean the Police, the CPS  and The Courts having to earn their pay? Would it mean having to pander to populism and build more prisons, in which to place criminals?