Police numbers.

According to the news, the number of police has been reduced by 6,000 nationwide and support staff have been reduced by 9,000, in the last twelve months!

Police numbers are now lower than they have been for the last decade. Summat wrong somewhere. No wonder the shit hit the fan with last years riots. Are we due a rebate with our rates and council taxes ? I object to paying for something which has been seriously reduced. Come April I will be writing to the council for a reduction. If they refuse I will be making an appointment to see my MP.

cops are bloody useles anyway no matter how many there are. they always ask me to cover my nob but its a mans right to hang free

You should join up, SND - you already have your nightstick!

I suspect it's more of a cudgel than a nightstick, but if he rides around Bolton in the middle of winter in his birthday suit, then it could pass for a pickled walnut.

A third nut!

fuck off my nob is in as new condition

I've heard it's 12 inches, but you don't use it as a rule.

I don't care how many there are until i have a problem and need a cop.

Oh look, someone complaining about reductions in the strain on the public purse but not offering an alternative way to cut the deficit. Fancy that.

Is it though?

Just playing at Devil's advocate - would less police lead to more crime and vandalism and therefore more of a cost in the end to the public purse?

In the case of much of the 9,000 support staff, it will make no difference.

Most policing is reactive anyway, they don't prevent crimes, they respond to them. Most crimes are unsolved, particularly petty crimes which you mention.

Some tosser broke into my shed twice last year and there wouldn't have been a coypper in my back yard whether we had 5 or 5,000 filth in my area.

Next time they break into your shed do this -

Did you hear about the guy who called the police because he saw some people stealing things out of the shed in his back yard? The police asked him if they were in his house and he said, "No." Then the police said that all units were busy and he should lock his doors. They would send someone as soon as they could.

The guy hung up, waited 30 seconds and called back. "I just called you about the people stealing things out of my shed. Well, don't worry about it, I shot them."

In less than five minutes, police cars screeched into his driveway, sirens blaring, and caught the thieves red-handed.

"I thought you said you shot them," said the officer.

"Thought you said no one was available," he replied.

Think it was the Sunderland game.

Set off for the match, front seat passenger in a small car.

Approaching the Wingates Ind Est, A6 ,one lane was coned off.

Police operation, got directed onto the Est, was told by a copper i was seen not wearing a seat beat, i said i was, he says well we're willing to stand up in court,and say that you wasn't. i said so am i. he backed off. let us go on our way.

Must have thought there were easy pickings on match days, so beware.

I can see Il Padrino's point but it doesn't alter the fact that we are being expected to pay for a significantly reduced service. In the borough where I live there is only one Police Station that is open 24 hours and has a public enquiry counter. Five other police stations in the borough were closed down and only one of those is open during the day for general enquiries.

If these cutbacks have to be implemented then fair enough, but if Virgin Broadband told me that they were reducing my internet capacity then I would cancel my direct debit. Why should the emergency services be any different ?

Sluffy, I like your example, I will try that if I ever catcTen. I keep it all in the house now. I had £250 worth of stuff nicked and unfortunately there was a 'mixup' with the insurance claim and they ended up settling for £1500 in cash and Argos vouchers.

Can you believe they cut the power cable off my lawn mower to weigh it in? Left me with a lawn mower with no power cable.

I don't ever want to see a situation where emergencies are ignored and pissheads are allowed to fight in and smash up our town centres unchecked though.

It was on the news yesterday that GMP had a purge on scrap metal dealers and recovered a sizeable amount of stolen copper cable. If the scrap metal dealers stopped buying the stuff from the tealeaves in the first place, this sort of crime wouldn't exist.

My shed is full of shite, broken machinery that won't fit in the bin and I'm too lazy to go to the tip.

There's no lock on the shed and I knew it was only a matter of time before someone helped themselves, and last Summer they did. They got away with one broken lawnmower and two broken strimmers.

Result.