Evenin' All

I read a report this morning that claims the British Police are targeting normally law-abiding middle classe people over minor transgressions of the law so that government targets can be met. It claims that officers are putting Home Office targets ahead of attending to the public’s needs and protection. As a result of this, the police force is becoming increasingly alienated from ordinary people. The report, by the think-tank Civitas (Institute for the Study of Civil Society) goes on to say that members of the public now find police officers to be "rude" and accuse them of neglecting their duties and failing to respond to reports of crime.

The report states that: "They are accused of concentrating on easy-to-deal with offending like speeding, while the real criminals seem to be getting away with it." One case was highlighted in which a 19-year-old foreign student was arrested, detained for five hours and cautioned for holding open the door of a lift in a London Underground station. The report said: "In a city where knife crime is exploding and the public are crying out for more police on the streets three officers are tied up for half the night arresting a young man for holding a lift door open with his foot."

Whereas this is certainly no surprise to me, it is nevertheless disquieting. I hate litter and I normally go to great lengths to avoid causing it myself. I will carry trash around in my pockets for hours until I can find a suitable bin to use. If I smoke in the streets (once considered so “common” by my dear mother, but now almost a necessity for those amongst us who are pathetic enough to require nicotine), I will carry the withered cigarette stub until I find a repository for it. And yet I admit to being a hypocrite in this matter because when I smoke in my car, I always throw the end out of the window. There’s no getting away from it - this is littering, plain & simple, and when last week I was spotted doing it by a policeman who took my registration number and who subsequently sent me a fixed penalty notice through the post, I thought: “It’s a fair cop, Guv,” and cheerfully paid my £50 fine.

Well, maybe not so cheerfully because whereas I was most definitely guilty, it’s slightly galling that my penalty has less to do with keeping the highways of this city clean (whenever was that important?), and more to do with some young officer achieving his monthly targets. I am not a prolific offender, but I was caught red-handed and was made to pay for my crime. This rankles slightly because wherever I go, I continue to witness people wilfully throwing down chip wrappers, drinks cartons, nightclub flyers, newspapers, cigarette boxes and all kinds of other assorted paraphernalia (even, on one occasion, a pair of shoes!). These people are clearly repeat offenders and yet it is unlikely that and of them will ever be apprehended. It rankles even more though, when I realize that I am probably just part of a different goal; I am a statistic that is necessary for perpetuating New Labour’s red tape, target-driven culture. Disappointing, but true.

All this makes my efforts to help thwart the authorities in the case of Hicham Yezza more relevant. The demonstration the other day was a splendid example of causing embarrassment to the establishment. There were hundreds of people there; the so-called “terrorist” document (which, by the way, can be freely purchased on Amazon) was read out loud; people waved banners and marched in silence; a tremendous speech of passionate support was given by Alan Simpson MP. Even though the authorities had sneakily ordered a deluge of rain in a nugatory attempt to dampen our spirits, we were not disheartened. After all, as someone said to me in an email this morning: “who doesn't like a bit of self-righteous socialising in the rain?” It was a serious event for sure, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun too.

Hicham Yezza is facing deportation to Algeria on Flight BA894 from Heathrow at 9.45 a.m. this Sunday, June 1st. He has expressed his willingness to contest the immigration charges in a court of law, but has been denied this basic right to a fair hearing. It is alarming that the Home Office seems to have lost interest in this legal process and is willing to deport him so hurriedly. Methinks, I smell a rat.