Government targets corrupt police work

While on the subject of government targets, there are according to police figures on-the-spot fines for crimes such as being drunk and disorderly, destroying property and shoplifting are being issued at a rate of one every three minutes!  What a violent country we live in.  Who would have thought that things are so bad that the police are forced to hand out these on the spot fines every three minutes.  Just as well they are so easy to hand out...

Coincidently, these fines have also really helped policemen hit key government targets because they count towards a ministerial pledge to increase the number of crimes “brought to justice”.  So instead of actually bringing someone "to justice" - i.e. they are tried by a jury for a criminal act, the government targets on justice also include allowing policemen to be judge, jury and executioner. I am not oppose, per se, to the police handing out PNDs when they warranted, but to have them attached to justice figures is disgraceful. 

Even the top brass at the police think so - Chief Superintendent Derek Barnett, vice-president of the Police Superintendents’ Association said, “-Experience suggests that when used sensibly PNDs have been a useful tool for the police service. But the emphasis on targets for ‘bringing offences to justice’ has corrupted their use-."