andyl

I wish you hadn't attached it. Awash with rhetoric designed to incite fear. Some categories of crime are rising and yes that does include some violent crimes - but overall crime rates are falling. The fear of crime greatly exceeds the risk of crime. This is why debates become so emotive and why this proposal is nonsense. The suggestion of more drug rehabilitation facilities is, nonetheless, a hugely sensible one. Taking it a step further the decriminalisation of drugs and their regulation, production and distribution by the State is seen by many - including a JP I spoke to on Friday - as being arguably the single most effective anti-crime initiative that could be implemented. That idea will howver be a non-starter because of the media inspired hysteria surrounding drugs which an elected commissioner would necessarily have to take into account in any election campaign. I don't want to start another off topic debate about decriminalisation but just use this example of the dangers of politically inspired policing