Would you pay for your own Police Force?

[Spiritual_Beggar]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1204819/Ne...
Essentially, in this neighbourhood, all residents are paying £3 a week for their a Security Firm to patrol the suburbs and protect against crime, using the power of citizens arrest to arrest suspected criminals.


What's the PH view on this?

I can see a few problems, but I think the idea is fairly sound. I'd probably pay an extra £3 a week for this (but tbh, I'd question why I pay so much for the other lot then), but only if it yielded results. And I'm not sure that this isn't still a little bit OTT.

Would/ could this work though? And has it really come to this? How are they going to operate alongside the Police Force?

Edited by Spiritual_Beggar on Friday 7th August 12:20

[Oakey]

Spiritual_Beggar said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1204819/Ne...
Essentially, in this neighbourhood, all residents are paying £3 a week for their a Security Firm to patrol the suburbs and protect against crime, using the power of citizens arrest to arrest suspected criminals.


What's the PH view on this?

I can see a few problems, but I think the idea is fairly sound. I'd probably pay an extra £3 a week for this, but tbh, I'd question why I pay so much for the other lot then.

Would/ could this work though? And has it really come to this? How are they going to operate alongside the Police Force?

It appears we've gone full circle and protection rackets are now popular again.

[FourWheelDrift]

Oakey said:

It appears we've gone full circle and protection rackets are now popular again.

It's not a protection racket, it's a good area hiring security to protect it from scummy people nearby. There are plenty of estates and roads in the UK that already hire private security. Like St Georges Hill Weybridge & Courtenay Avenue N6 for just 2 examples.

However the Daily Mail is once again succeeding in creating a story of fear from it all.

[Eric Mc]

I thought we already did???

[Spiritual_Beggar]

Oakey said:

It appears we've gone full circle and protection rackets are now popular again.

That was my thinking as well.

This seems no different than a protection racket......just not the mob running it

[V8mate]

It works for crims 'on foot', but they have no capabilty to, for example, stop anti-social behaviour like people screaming up and down your road in their cars.

It also raises the issue of 'free-riders' and how you provide a differentiated service in a geographical area for people who don't pay.

[Crusoe]

plenty of gated communities with their own security patrols in the States, expect it to appear over here as the gap between the have and have not expand you either pay more to keep the have not people at bay or put up walls to keep them out...

[Pints]

Eric Mc said:

I thought we already did???

It's called the police.

[thinfourth2]

If they are allowed to shoot chavs and pikeys i'd happily pay

[Oakey]

Spiritual_Beggar said:

Oakey said:

It appears we've gone full circle and protection rackets are now popular again.

That was my thinking as well.

This seems no different than a protection racket......just not the mob running it

I wouldn't be too surprised if these security firms are run by unsavoury characters.

[FourWheelDrift]

V8mate said:

It also raises the issue of 'free-riders' and how you provide a differentiated service in a geographical area for people who don't pay.

You can't really, if the people want it so badly they will split the cost between those who want it so those who don't pay still have the benefit of the service but don't mind if it wasn't there either. I'm sure they would go ahead with it if only 50 out of the 100 hundred residents said they would pay for it.

Perhaps they are covered by the general security of having the people around but have no other extra neighbourhood security like increased checks if the homeowner is on holiday and the house is empty.

[Spiritual_Beggar]

Pints said:

Eric Mc said:

I thought we already did???

It's called the police.

It's not a private force though.

My mistake....I should have added 'Private' to the thread title.

[collateral]

I'm willing to bet that if that bloke with the cornrows wasn't wearing his work clothes the net curtain twitchers ('affluent neighbourhood' of van drivers?) would be calling the real police quite quickly.

This is just the regular OMGPANICWHITEMIDDLEENGLAND story the Mail loves.

Quite funny seeing their reporting on Jezza calling Brown a . They really didn't know how to spin that one!

[Halb]

I don't agree with it. I think that sort of activity should be left in the hands of government, and local volunteer groups like Neighbourhood Watch.

[Slothario]

Theres a 'security firm' operating in a town in the north that will 'get your stuff back' if you are burgled.
Only if you subscribe to thier services though....

[nonegreen]

Spiritual_Beggar said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1204819/Ne...
Essentially, in this neighbourhood, all residents are paying £3 a week for their a Security Firm to patrol the suburbs and protect against crime, using the power of citizens arrest to arrest suspected criminals.


What's the PH view on this?

I can see a few problems, but I think the idea is fairly sound. I'd probably pay an extra £3 a week for this (but tbh, I'd question why I pay so much for the other lot then), but only if it yielded results. And I'm not sure that this isn't still a little bit OTT.

Would/ could this work though? And has it really come to this? How are they going to operate alongside the Police Force?

Edited by Spiritual_Beggar on Friday 7th August 12:20

Great idea, then lets sack the police force cos they are completely useless anyway and they are overpaid and mostly stupid.

[Fittster]

Brilliant concept. Competition improves the service.

[EDLT]

I'm not sure they'll be much use, supermarkets have security and CCTV but they still get thieves.

[Marquis_Rex]

At the rate of what's happening in the UK, I can see the rise of 'punishment gangs' like they have in Belfast because the police force are so utterly useless.
It brings it home when you see how good and effective they are over here in the USA if you're a decent citizen.

[Jasandjules]

EDLT said:

I'm not sure they'll be much use, supermarkets have security and CCTV but they still get thieves.

Yes, but it depends on whether or not the thief gets the s**t kicked out of them then dumped by the road (as a private firm may accidentally do) or whether the police get called whilst the thief gets a nice cup of tea (as a supermarket is likely to do).