Manchester Chief Constable finds bottle to speak out

I said in a letter to Gordon Marsden MP (Blackpool South) some ten years ago that the political correctness route was hiding the inadequacies of clear thinking with regards to law and disorder. A decade before the penny dropped on the Chief Constable of Manchester.

The full statement by the CC is well worth reading.

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Peter Fahy: Manchester would have been spared riots ‘if London had been under control sooner’

Greater Manchester Police chief constable Peter Fahy has risked the wrath of colleagues in London after he suggested Manchester could have been spared the August riots if police in the capital had acted sooner.

Mr Fahy told BBC Panorama that copycat violence broke out after people saw rioters were “getting away with” their behaviour in the capital.

He said: “A certain group of people saw what was happening in London and decided they seemed to be getting away with it.

“The authorities weren’t in control and they decided they wanted their opportunity.”

He told the BBC One programme he did not regret the decision to send 100 officers from Greater Manchester Police to help deal with the situation in London.

“We knew what was absolutely critical was that there needed to be control of London. Because that was just creating more and more copycat violence up here.” Read more at menmedia.co.uk

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A Country unfit for Heroes?

This story should run and run until those who make fortunes from the fiscal misery of the inadequately paid Forces are themselves put on the Front Line.

At least Stella Creasy(Labour Walthemstowe) has shown balls and put her head over the parapet, but she has to learn that it was her Government that got us into this war we did not want, and into all the debt we cannot afford to service.

Amplify’d from www.mirror.co.uk

Legal loan sharks target soldiers battling to survive on low military wages

Soldiers from the Alpha Grenadier Company attend a Remembrance Day (pic: PA)

Over the past few days a grateful nation has being paying tribute to the sacrifices our brave armed forces make while serving their country.

But while millions honour the dead, legal loan sharks have been trying to lure living servicemen into taking out short-term loans with massive interest rates on repayments.

Online firms such as QuickQuid and Easymilitaryloans are targeting military personnel struggling to make ends meet on a regular soldier’s wage of £17,265.

The annual payback rate is 1,734% but in reality customers will end up forking out 359% – 10 times as much as the most ­expensive credit cards on the market.

It means someone who borrows £50 will have to pay back £65 over a 30-day period. Read more at www.mirror.co.uk

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Newlyn bailiffs boss "a liar" Judge says

TIMES ARTICLE – 27 AUGUST 2011

The police have been accused of acting beyond their authority by helpingbailiffs to collect disputed parking fines

The police have been accused of acting beyond their authority by helpingbailiffs to collect disputed parking fines.

An investigation by The Times has discovered thatforces across the UK, including the Metropolitan and Kent Police, have beenregularly assisting bailiffs to seize the cars of motorists with outstandingpenalties, even though campaigners say they do not have the legal authoritybecause parking enforcement in most parts of the UK is a civil, not criminalmatter.

In one case, the police helped Newlyn, a bailiff company that has beenaccused of adding extra costs to debts, cutting corners and aggressivelychasing people for money that they say they do not owe. The Times hasobtained video evidence of how the police confiscated the car keys of onedriver and handed them to Newlyn even though the bailiff provided documentationof disputed authenticity and the driver denied that he owed any money.

In 2009 a district judge branded a director of Newlyn a liar in ahearing about the renewal of a bailiff’s licence. The driver who had his carconfiscated has since taken his case to the Independent Police ComplaintsCommission.

The law states that the police should assist bailiffs only if there islikely to be a breach of the peace, but officers appear to be routinely goingon joint operations to stop motorists.

Ron Clark, of Fairparking.com, a website that champions the cause ofmotorists, said: “The permission to engage in such activity was removed by theEnforcement of Road Traffic Debts Order of 1993. Police should no more beassisting bailiffs to chase up parking contraventions than they should beassisting utility companies in securing payment of their energy bills.”

Barrie Segal, of Appealnow.com, which helps people fight unfair parkingpenalties, said: “Shouldn’t the police be concentrating on chasing people whobreak the criminal law? I’m all for police stopping motorists where theysuspect a crime has occurred. I just don’t think they should team up withbailiffs because it misleads the public into thinking that bailiffs havegreater powers than they do.”

Legal experts consulted by The Times said the policecould be acting beyond their authority. District Judge Stephen Gerlis, ofBarnet County Court, said: “I am not aware of any protocol or authority thatprovides for the police to be involved in the enforcement of civil debts,unless there is a suggestion that a criminal offence may be committed.”

The joint operations came to light after The Times obtaineda transcript of a court hearing about a bailiff’s licence renewal. In thishearing, Leonard Brailey, an employee of Marston’s, a leading bailiff company,admitted that the police had for the past seven years been assisting hiscompany with roadside stopping operations in Kent and other areas on theoutskirts of London. In the past six months, he had taken part in six to tenoperations, he said.

He explained that police would flag down oncoming cars for a roadsidecheck. Then, after completing the check, they would say to the motorist: “Hereis a bailiff. He is going to carry out checks as well.” Mr Brailey agreed thatthe impression given was that this was some lawful stopping to which themotorist had no right to object.

Kent Police confirmed it had conducted roadside police operations withbailiffs. The Metropolitan Police said it also carried out roadside stopoperations with bailiffs “on rare occasions”. Both forces said they weresatisfied that their operations were legal.

According to Mr Brailey, after being introduced by the police, thebailiff phones his office to check whether there are any outstanding warrantsfor unpaid fines relating to the vehicle. But Mr Clark said: “The bailiff’s vanis equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology and a databaseof vehicles on which there are outstanding parking contraventions. These arethe vehicles the police stop.”

Malcolm Hurlston, of Credit Action, the national financial educationcharity, said: “The proposals for regulating bailiffs are already monthsoverdue. The whole area of bailiff activity is confusing and complicated andurgently needs regulation.”

The Ministry of Justice said: “The majority of bailiffs are responsible,but too many are not and this cannot continue. We will publish our consultationas soon as we have exhausted our exploration of all the issues.”

Newlyn refused to comment but has previously denied any wrongdoing andhas said that its director’s incorrect statement in court was “merely anadministrative error”.