Here they are in the act! Just go and arrest them!
■ A woman who filmed fly-tippers in the act says police won’t do anything because it wasn’t witnessed by officers (Metro, Fri). If true, that’s astounding. The police never catch fly-tippers in the act but others have been caught and charged – albeit not enough of them – after being filmed by hidden cameras. This just shows that crime and dumping pays.
Julian, Leamington Spa
■ It beggars belief that a prosecution can only proceed if tippers are actually seen by police to be fly-tipping. Phone evidence is used in other cases, such as for street crime. Does an officer have to witness a murder or burglary for there to be a prosecution? The evidence caught on camera by this brave woman is surely evidence enough.
Roz, via email
■ So in order for a prosecution to occur the police have to actually see the flytipping crime being committed. Wow! I hope that doesn’t apply to all crimes or we will really be in trouble.
John, West Yorkshire
■ If the police will prosecute from dashcam footage supplied by drivers, why on earth did they refuse to prosecute fly-tippers, saying they had to actually see them committing the act? There is no difference and these fly-tippers will only go and tip it elsewhere now. These inconsiderate lawbreakers are a menace to the countryside. Or is it that drivers are an easy target to prosecute?
R Langley, Chichester
■ Fly-tippers are not deterred by the current penalties, especially if the police response is that they’re not interested. My daughter received six points on her driving licence and a fine on the basis of picking up her phone up while at traffic lights. This was based on a photo taken by a passing cyclist.
So are the police really not interested, telling lies or too lazy to get up from their desks? The only thing that may deter fly-tippers is for them to immediately lose their means of transport, as is the case for non-insured drivers. If they have no means of carrying rubbish, problem solved.
Eugene, Epsom
■ The following should not just apply to fly-tippers but all class of scumbags.
If caught, do not put them in prison. Take away their passports and driving licences. Why should they be well fed and looked after in prison? Just let them do a month or more working on whatever it was they did wrong – so cleaning up, working on the roads, doing repairs to
the homes of pensioners or single mums, as well as to schools and play areas.
They can help mums in high-rise flats get shopping and carry prams up the stairs when the lifts are busy or broken.
Hit these people where it hurts, was my mum’s saying – and that is not always on the bum.
Sue, via email
■ Why don’t we use private contractors to combat fly-tipping? The penalties can pay their costs and profits.
DH, Uxbridge
■ Not prosecuting fly-tippers sums up the police and the law in the UK – not ‘anti-woke’ enough to warrant attention. Michael J Lee, Sheffield