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Policing Uk vs America
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I watch that programme called Cops which is filmed in America and it always amazes me as to how many police officers they have over there. You see clips of car chases and their must be 10 cars following the car they are chasing. Then the cases where someone is causing a disturbance and 3 or 4 patrol calls will investigate the offence, now if that happens here we are lucky if we get one police car attending.
So why is there such a difference? Why is it that in the UK we seem as though we do not have enough police officers. Is it just my area thats like this or is it nationally in the UK ?
So why is there such a difference? Why is it that in the UK we seem as though we do not have enough police officers. Is it just my area thats like this or is it nationally in the UK ?
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I don't think police numbers are the sole problem. The police also have a lot of bureucracy when dealing with crime. They should be freed from that to combat criminals.
becky my dear ...if you go out with your man for a drive i think you will find that most of our coppers are sitting at the side of the road catching people who are travelling to fast.
or chasing shoplifters round shopping centres.
plus america is a bazillion times better off than us.
todays coppers like it easy. they'd rather arrest me for smoking a weed that grows in my garden plus ...a lot of the public these days seem to have sympathy for the burglar not the victim ...some people even believe that burglars have rights wich must realy undermine any decent coppers efforts.
So why then is it in America they have lots more in attendance to crimes?
Where I live your lucky if you see 2 police cars together. there was a disturbance at the pub the other week and they sent 2 police officers to about 30 people arguing. Just seems we dont have the police for the amount of crime about.
Mr Roll I agree with that statement, you see police in the laybys trying to catch people speeding. Yes they are comitting an offence by speeding but the police need to deal more with real criminals.
My hubby once was done for speeding. He came out of work on the trading estate at 11pm at night, not a sole about and its not a built up area, well unlucky for him because a copper was hiding and nicked him. Suppose its taught him a lesson because now hes more careful when he does speed up
Another difference between the UK and US is how the police act. In the US they handcuff every single peson they arrest. I remember a case last year in the UK when a policeman was shot dead in a raid - if we handcuffed all suspects then that wouldn't have happened. I don't think it's a threat to civil liberties, it's more about protecting the police officers.
The statistics state that police numbers have risen. Of course people complain about not seeing 'bobbies on the beat' or some such.
the copper should be out pounding the beat ...looking ...watching ...listening ...getting to know the people he is serving.
to many coppers seem to seperate themselves from the rest of us and then start attacking us and picking on us instead of serving and protecting. no wonder they get such a bad press.
The police just seem to have given up the ghost - they say certain estates are "No-go areas" why the hell should they be? It's their jobs to make sure they are go areas. Funny isn't it how politicians can have 5 police officers each following them wherever they go on the off chance they're shot but we can't manage to police whole estates.
I think at the very least there should be a police officer assigned to an area and everyone in that area should have a phone number to that officer report crimes on and the officer should patrol the streets, give advice on security. I also think there should be an 888 phone number for non-life and death cases because so many non urgent cases clog up 999. I'd also get them out of their panda cars and onto motorbikes instead to give them more flexibility in chasing criminals.
They have a segment at the end where the bravery of the police force is commended (which is undoubtedly due in some cases) and how wonderful they are and how bad "the bad guys" are.
Whether all crimes are dealt like that within America, I don't know. They film and pick the most dramatic footage to show.
As for our police force - we need more officers and more resources. Get more helicopters, then we won't need so many patrol cars. Unfortunately helicopters cost millions just to run and where is the money to buy them?
However, just increasing our police force wouldn't necessarily cut crime (infact it would have to increase because theoretically having more police officers would mean more crimes caught and recorded.) It depends on how they decide to deal and tackle crime.
Anyone think more armed police is a good idea?
if a copper has a spliff ...it's traceable for months. so all the coppers who indulge switched their drug of choice to things less traceable ...heroin and coke are only traceable for hours ...the chief decided it was better his men had a spliff ...
Can you say "Hollywierd Dramatization"?
If you believe that "Cops" is representative of how things are handled in the US, then you have extreme gullibility issues. Believe that "Jenny Jones" is representative?
It is "entertainment", not reality. And the most camp it up for the camera...
Every state that I have been, in the US... and I have been in every state... Acting in the manner which is portrayed? Would have the heavy-handed mutants summarily dropped from their force, and arrested, themselves.
You believe that "Benny Hill" accurately portrays Brits?
And much against public opionion 'bobbies on the beat' doesnt actualy effect crime stats very much.
And may I point out again that crime has fallen considerably over the last few years, a fact that tabloids seem to forget.
Round where I live police don't have any shortage of numbers to send to an incident. Whether it is a domestic, a pub fight or a road incident, it is common for them to send at least 3 cars and a van full of old bill. In all at least 12 coppers (if it is a pub brawl involving a few punters they will send nearly twice as many). I had actually thought they send too many of them for incidents that could be handled with one car, or two at most.
But then perhaps we get special treatment in Brixton.
The second point is, there are too many cops in America. Absolutely everywhere. And yet crime levels are similar and in many cases worse than those in this country. The only "criminals" affected by such massive police presence are kids who dare to drink alcohol on the street, jaywalkers and speeders.
Their handling of situations it's rather worrying as well. We were stopped for the grand crime of doing 72mph on a 65mph turnpike. The cop reached for his gun because my mate had made a "threatening move" towards him (he had simply moved slightly closer as he was trying to explain away our speeding- but he was still well out of arms reach ffs!).
In any case cops are reluctant to patrol the really rough areas, which is where many of the crimes are committed. It is not the jaywalkers or those who drink a can of beer on the street that worry the public.