Graham

*Because* they've got the Government on their bloody backs using them as a political football and adding new layers of bureaucracy instead of giving them the money letting them get on with their jobs!!!

See this report from 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/...00/1329463.stm

"The head of the Police Federation is due to renew his call for a boost in officer numbers, saying current targets are insufficient to fight crime effectively.

"The organisation's chairman, Fred Broughton, is expected to criticise Home Secretary Jack Straw for leaving the service "powerless to prevent crime". "

Now since then we've seen plenty of "initiatives" and promises of new officers and new funding, but we've also seen rises in violent crime and burglaries.

See http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...423380,00.html this report from January 2005:

"BRITAIN has one of the worldââ‚ƚ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s most ineffective police forces and highest crime rates, according to an authoritative report to be published this week.

"It says the police spend too much time behind desks instead of tackling and preventing crime. The result, it says, is that crime is †œa very low-risk activity for the criminalââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ÂÂ�.

And http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...423069,00.html this report which refers to Scotland, but is IMO entirely applicable to the entire UK:

"POLICE will refuse to respond to †œminorâ € � car crashes, fires or disputes between neighbours under plans to cut bureaucracy and put more officers on the beat.

"Police chiefs claim that they have been swamped by government legislation that is putting mounting pressure on the service and tying up officers with unnecessary paperwork."

We already *have* elected officials who are responsible for overseeing what the Police do, but they're too busy pushing them to reach "targets" to make the politicians look good than to fight crime.