Crime’s on the rise so police set to work... picking up litter!
IT SEEMS barely a day goes by without embattled police chiefs complaining of overstretched budgets and inadequate manpower.
But one force, despite fighting a rise in crime, has managed to find some officers to send to pick up litter as part of a community action week.
The force posted photographs on Twitter of PCSOs and constables posing with litter-pickers before heading out on the streets. There, officers were seen putting rubbish into bin bags or dumping old sofas and refuse sacks into skips.
But the images, from one of a number of ‘ community- engagement’ initiatives in Normacot, Stoke- on-Trent, received a distinctly mixed reponse from Staffordshore taxpayers – with residents accusing the force of neglecting crime to ‘do the council’s job’.
Longton Police’s Twitter feed posted the snaps on Wednesday morning alongside the caption: ‘Normacot. The BIG clean up.’
One Twitter user replied: ‘Would time not be better spent actually enforcing the litter laws... that way less litter to pick up in future and the public don’t shake their heads.’
Another Stoke resident, Steve Malam, asked: ‘ So who was doing the policing while you were doing the council’s job?’
Stephen Murtagh added: ‘Ridiculous. Do you do gardening as well? Oh, and my windows need cleaning.
‘Do you do that? Do some policing for crying out loud!’
The number of recorded crimes in Staffordshire grew from 113,260 in 2016 to 117,752 last year, according to the force’s figures. In the Lightwood North
Bin blue line: Officers with litter-pickers and Normacot ward, crimes Wednesdayg, after the force and jumped nine per cent. a local residents’ association
According to Staffordshire’s provided ten skips to collect 2018-19 Policing Plan, published rubbish. The activities also earlier this year, the constabulary included staging a community needs to save more than centre coffee morning. £ 11million from its annual A outcry in Staffordshire echoed budget by March 2021, having the storm triggered last already made savings of more year when Humberside officers than £11.2million since 2010. were criticised for riding dodgem
Matthew Ellis, the local Police cars at Hull Fair. No fewer than and Crime Commissioner, has 21 officers, including a chief also signalled that stations may superintendent, were pictured close, explaining that: ‘I’ve a at the nine-day event. budget challenge. I would rather And last Halloween, Cambridgeshire spend money on officers and Police were criticised staff than buildings.’ after an officer posed in a
Officers aided council workers Frankenstein mask behind bars. in the community clean-up on Other forces had previously
The Daily Mail, October 21 been condemned for gimmicks such as officers painting nails to raise awareness of modern-day slavery. But Staffordshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Nick Adderley insisted: ‘The week of action was designed in partnership with the community and partners and was a huge success in terms of bringing offenders to justice, relationshipbuilding and developing a sense of togetherness.
‘One week of action will yield months of consequential benefit and is something that we, as a force, together with volunteers and key partners, will continue to drive forward.’