Police Must Reclaim Streets?

Today I saw this headline on the BBC News Website!

“Police 'need to reclaim streets', police chief warns” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11394354

Now that got me to thinking.  When was it we last saw our local PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) – for my International readers not familiar with this term, these are NOT police officers.  They look remarkably like police officers, but they ain’t!

Well, it has been several weeks since the PCSO for our area was here.  I spoke to him, he nodded, I spoke to him again and he carried on nodding, he had a look around and then he went.  I have not seen him since!  Early this week a police patrol car came down our road, he drove slowly, got the the end of the cul-de -sac and realised it was a dead end! He turned round and vanished, he was clearly lost.

Now, after this BBC report on the words of wisdom from the Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Denis O'Connor was timely.  Why you may be wondering by now?   Well, here’s another thing.  Not only are PCSO’s absent from here where we live, they are also often in short supply in the town centre.  When you do see them they seem to be simply delivering mail to shops in the town.  They may sometimes be giving directions to a lost tourist or they may be seemingly striding off somewhere across the town, I know not where to!

Ah but today, only hours after the BBC report the town was awash with PCSO’s AND regular Police Officers!!  Not just one or two either, a fair multitude of blue uniforms were spread abundantly about the mean streets of Chichester.

Now, I will admit that there were five [Yes, FIVE] PCSO’s “post coding” bicycles at the Town Cross with a long queue of people waiting for the magic anti theft seals to be added.  More surprising was the emergence of no less that SIX uniformed, REGULAR Police Officers patrolling in pairs!!!!!!!  I may be wrong there in that there may have only been four and I may have seen one pair twice, but I’m not sure.  So lets say it was three pairs anyway.

It seemed awfully coincidental to me.

PS: Congratulations to the PC who I have often seen patrolling in the distant past who spotted last week getting out of his patrol car to do a little bit of “beat work” and, my God! He had lost an enormous amount of weight.  He had shrunk from his previous 19 stone (that 266 pounds to any Americans out there) to somewhere around 224 pounds which was a fantastic achievement.  He’s a big bloke anyway so he carries his new “slimmer” self very nicely now and looks almost svelte in his uniform and stab vest now.

Form your own conclusions folks and now misbehaving on those street corners this weekend or its a good cuff round the ears for you this time.  No namby pamby ASBO I’m afraid.  [that an Anti Social Behaviour Order for all you non-Brits out there]

Waste Recycling

I was encouraged to hear the news that the new Government has decided to drop plans to charge householders for recycling their rubbish.  There is also talk of some Local Authorities actually rewarding householders for the material that they may send for recycling and that this may include shopping vouchers etc.  This is all excellent news as we wont now feel compelled to recycle but actually recycle because we want to and collect an M&S Voucher on the way too!

These days we seem to recycle an enormous amount of newspaper and cardboard, much of which is from packaged food and tea bags.  We used to compost as well but now that we have a largely low maintenance garden we have little in the way of space or material to continue to do so. 

We are also fortunate to only have two “bins” for our waste.  A black household waste bin and a maroon recycle one that is just about large enough for us.  We have declined a green garden waste bin for pretty much the same reasons we are not composting these days.  So I feel we are doing about as much as we can in terms of waste disposal, except with glass which we have to take to a nearby collection point.  However, given that our glass collecting may take a long time I don’t think we are a problem in that respect.

However, I do have a major gripe about the few bone idle, lazy and anti-social residents of our estate who are guilty of leaving their bins sat in front of their houses, on the pavement, causing an obstruction from anyone having to negotiate the footpath.  This thoughtless practice is not only unsightly, it is a hindrance to mothers pushing prams as they can be forced into the road to avoid the offending obstruction.

Needless to say, at night, anyone returning from a night at the pub may find themselves victim to a wheelie bin collision!!  I suppose this could lead to a nice little earner in the way of compensation?

Why oh why don’t the Local Authority do something about this particular lazy habit and fine the culprits?

This leads me onto another little niggle I have about car parking.  Why oh why do the owners of cars around here who have a garage (either integral to their house ) AND a parking space  adjacent to the house of garage, insist on parking their car as near to the front of their house ON THE PAVEMENT?

This is not only against the law (as far as I recall) but it is another safety hazard to the walkers of this land.  Yet again it is just another example of lazy (if not stupid) inconsiderate, thoughtless and selfish people who do not consider the implications of their actions.

I pray that if we have a major fire here or a medical emergency that the Emergency Services are able to get their vehicles to the scene without hindrance.

Where was I? Oh yes, recycling.

Keep it up!

B***** Cyclists!!!

There is not day that passes that I am not forced to step off the pavement to make way for a cyclist who seems hell bent of running me over! Why oh why do they have to do it I ask myself as I watch the latest teenage failed medical experiment hurtle towards me with a face taught with anger and aggression. Having said that the equally berserk Lycra clad so called "sports cyclist" seems also to be hell bent on scaring the living daylights out of any pedestrian who just happens to be in his way (I am not sure that the operation he had on his brain completely worked either). The growing number crazy,ignorant, crazed and plain stupid individuals who have taken to riding on pavements seems to be largely ignored by local authorities despite their attempt to provide swathes of cycling paths which I have yet to see a cyclist actually using! The police, as is often the cry, never seem to be there when the utter fool on a bike (pre-failed medical experiment and probably beyond hope) weaves in and out of the throngs who populate, on foot, yes on foot in the City precinct. I can almost hear the screaming going on his head as he inwardly shouts "get out of my ******* way you people on foot".

I have long wish to be carrying a large box that I have to swap from hand to hand due to its weight so that when one of these buffoons approach I can be deaf, daft and partially sighted and in my plight change hands and thus accidentally allow my large box to knock them flying from their bike! I of course would avoid injury and be the true victim of this needless "RTA", I would sue and claim several hundreds of pounds from the idiot who I would hope bore life long scars on his knees in testament to his anti-social behaviour.

Sadly though I will not have such luck but I do pray that the Police and the Council take more care and make some examples of these cycling thugs and make it a very public event in the process.

So you wonderful cyclists out there, take heed of these key points;

• I may not hear you approaching
• I may not be able to see you approaching
  
• I may be able to see and hear you but I may not be able to move fast enough to get out of your way
• I may have small children who can't get out of the way
• I may push you off your bike
• I may be a psychotic madman (some may already think that anyway)
  
• I may be a police officer
  

Well with all this in mind, happy cycling!