Nigel Thornton: not a big fan of the boys in blue
You might have formed the impression that I'm not a big fan of the boys in blue having taken them to task from time to time.
You might have formed the impression that I'm not a big fan of the boys in blue having taken them to task from time to time.I'm talking about the police by the way, not Posh's back four. But that impression would be wrong because, by and large, I think the cops do a very difficult job very well. (I'll leave chairman Darragh MacAnthony to pass judgement on the Posh defenders).
My respect for the police might in part be because my sister-in-law is a rozza and, as well as being a diamond geezer of the first order, she also knows how to inflict severe pain on me. Laughably, she refers to these dark arts as self defence which she regularly employs against me just because every time I see her I innocently greet her with the words: "Who've you fitted up today?"
But joking aside there are regular occasions when my support for the police is severely tested. And that is every time the latest crime statistics are revealed.
The latest figures showed a truly shocking 20 per cent rise in the number of burglaries in Peterborough. If you've never been the victim of a burglary, think yourself lucky. Trust me, it ain't nice.
I'm with comedian Peter Kay who pointed out in his famous telly advert for John Smith bitter "it's not the wardrobe monsters you should be worried about, it's the burglars."
The police worry that the rest of us worry too much about crime and maybe that is why they always try to paint a brighter picture.
But the continual mantra of senior officers that "the figures are out-of-date'' doesn't wash with me. For starters, they are not that out-of-date, relating to the year to September 2009. And I don't suppose all those who were burgled in September, will feel any better because fewer people were burgled a couple of months later.
But if the police are so concerned about up-to-date figures why don't they just publish them each month?
If the burglars worry me, so do the car clampers... and I must be the most law-abiding parker in the country.
I don't know why, but I just can't bring myself to park illegally. It drives Mrs T mad when she wants to nip into a shop and I won't even wait for a minute on double yellows.
"I'll just drive round the block," I shout merrily as I drive off. In my rear mirror I can see her shaking her fist and then her head in exasperation.
So despite there being more chance of me having a date with Kylie Minogue than being clamped the behaviour of these clampers disgusts me. Quite simply, the penalty doesn't fit the crime. Their charges are outrageous and it's high time they were brought to heel.
Email to a friend
Print this page - Popular
- Most comments
- Most shared
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Local pages
Looking for a...
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Peterborough
Friday 19 March 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C - 8 C
Wind Speed: 14 Knots
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C - 10 C
Wind Speed: 18 Knots
Wind direction: North west
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.