yet more on the Hunting Bill
"Police have been told not to foil illegal fox hunts when the hunting season begins because of health and safety regulations. Guidance drawn up by police chiefs instructs officers to take the most cautious approach when investigating reports of illegal hunts for fear that they might injure themselves. They have been told not to go near hounds or horses and not to confiscate dead animals as evidence in case of injury or infection."
Good so far !
In the 30-page document, released by two constabularies - Gloucestershire and Devon and Cornwall - police chiefs make clear: "Police officers will not routinely be deployed to hunt meetings." If officers are deployed it will only be after a detailed "risk assessment completed on the deployment of that officer or team by a responsible person. Appropriate support must be considered.
"In addition, all police officers deployed must be adequately briefed on their role, legal constraints and on their health and safety."
Far from chasing across fields, any officer sent to investigate a hunt should "record all available evidence (visual or verbal) in the most appropriate manner, by pocket notebook".
You can call me a drunken old cynic, but it occurs to your humble corrspondent that these police forces dont give a stuff about enforcing the hunting ban ... tee hee!! Quite correctly, they realise that there are much more sensible uses of police time.
More here
Comments
So much for a brave and bold police force. This is becoming more of a recurring theme these days:
http://onedumbbrit.blogspot.com/2005/04/take-chance-not-likely.html
Posted by: Dumb Brit | June 6, 2005 1:41 PM
Capital! For once health and safety is on the side of good.
Posted by: The Alchemist | June 6, 2005 2:41 PM
found this one for you... not really related to the stupid hunting ban but interesting none the less...
I thought the fuel taxes were bad. (weren't they supposed to pay for road infrastructure upgrades and maintenance?) but now I see they want to put a GPS system on the roof of your rover...
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/story.jsp?story=644303
just plain criminal...
K
Posted by: Kirk | June 6, 2005 9:38 PM
Fuel taxes, GPS, and a toll system on the roads? How long before they start taxing us for all this free air?
Posted by: Dumb Brit | June 7, 2005 9:22 AM
Shhh... They don't need any other ideas Dumb Brit as they seem to come up with new ones all on their own...
Posted by: Kirk | June 8, 2005 2:03 AM