Report to the People
19th February 2007
Neds to get Fixed
What,
I wonder, would happen if the bone-idle hooligans who spend so much time and
energy delaying their appearances in court put the same amount of effort into
doing something productive?
And
how much more effective would our police, prosecutors and courts become if they
weren’t bogged down with so-called minor open and shut cases?
Well,
the new police powers announced last week might give us the ideal opportunity to
find out the answer to both.
When
rolled out in Strathclyde later in the year, fewer neds will have a court case
to play at delaying while they remain unpunished and at large.
Instead, officers will simply hit them with on-the-spot fines for
offences such as breach of the peace, drunkenness and vandalism.
Offenders
will be given a £40 fine and 28 days to pay. If the fine is not paid within that time, and unchallenged, it
increases to £60 and is treated like a registered district court fine.
While
we all benefit from the justice system being freed up to deal with more serious
crimes, on-the-spot fines can also make a real difference in communities plagued
by antisocial behaviour. They allow
the police to take swift and visible action against so-called low level crime
and the evidence suggests that they deter offenders from repeating their
unacceptable behaviour.
It
might be a hard lesson to learn, but fining louts where and when they step out
of line might make them understand, at last, that their actions have
consequences.
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