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Writing about Police Superintendent Wayne Mawson, who recently sold his home in Hackney because he didn't want to confront the youths hanging around outside, made us remember another story last month. In Basildon the Essex Police decided to target a group of young thugs who were making life unbearable for the residents of a housing estate. They visited the estate in force, following 14 youths around for several days, photographing them and searching them at every opportunity. The result? Crime became non-existent - and in the days since, it has remained "dramatically" below average. The scheme was approved under the watch of Essex's tough-talking Chief Constable Roger Baker after the area was identified as a hot spot for crime, with more than 20 offences reported each week. Its success means it could be moved to other areas that have fallen under the spell of criminals. Just 14 people in their teens and early 20s were followed, but each was well known to the force, having built up criminal records for offences including intimidation, burglary, criminal damage, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. Three specially trained surveillance officers spearheaded the operation, backed by uniformed police and community support officers. A total of 60 stop checks were carried out and four people were arrested for offences including possession of cocaine and assaulting a police officer. Needless to say, civil rights group Liberty attacked the tactic, claiming it was "heavy-handed and a questionable use of resources", but residents at the estate saw it rather differently, saying it had made the streets safe to walk again. Essex Police's tough approach has seen the number of recorded crimes in the county go down from 134,789 in 2004/5 to 127,163 in 2006/7, a drop of almost ten per cent. You see, Superintendent Mawson? There is another way. You just have to be man enough to take it. See the full story here. either on this site or on the World Wide Web. Copyright © 2008 The GOS This site created and maintained by PlainSite |
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