Does motherhood drive you mad?

March 14, 2004
Speech by Brid Hehir, Institute of Ideas
Former health visitor and co-author of Alternative Medicine: should we swallow it?

“The notion of medicalising or pathologising childbirth and motherhood is now quite common.”

“The private life of families is therefore no longer considered to be their business but ours too. Because of the insistence that the welfare of children must come first, its fertile ground for the involvement of and intervention by health professionals. We
have lower expectations of parents. They might drink too much, take drugs, given their children inappropriate food, not parent well enough, abuse them ……The notion that they can sort out their problems for themselves now seems anathema. We use our mental checklists to assess whether or not they’re doing all right.

I think additionally that many of us (health professionals) have lost our ability and confidence to make common sense judgements. We seldom have the confidence to say ‘all’s well’ or its ‘good enough’ and to leave well alone. Instead we cover our backs by constantly referring on to eg. GPs, who then refer on to consultants….”

“There have been numerous social, political, policy and service changes since the 1980s however and the role of health professionals has changed. This was starkly reflected in the consultation document ‘Every Child Matters’ and is also portrayed in the new Children’s Bill. Ostensibly the bill is about achieving reforms to bring about better outcomes for children. In reality however it assumes that a large number of families cannot bring up children without the involvement of myriad agencies who need constantly to exchange information about the children. It seems that the government and society now fundamentally mistrusts parents to bring up their children and thinks it can do better. Health professionals are influenced by this
viewpoint also.”

“Motherhood once seen as an ideal, is now promoted as an ordeal, mothers, we are told, are hyper - vulnerable. “

ASBO - serious potential for criminalising children

Children start rejecting Authority at an early age, no carrots, plenty of stick.

ASBOs 6 years on and Probation Officers demand a Review

ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ORDERS:
ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST SIX YEARS
briefing by the National Association of Probation Officers – 7 April 2005

CONCLUSION

The number of anti social behaviour orders has increased markedly since November 2003. There is ample evidence of the issuing of ASBOs by the courts being inconsistent and almost a geographical lottery. There is great concern that people are being jailed following the breach of an ASBO where the original offence was itself non-imprisonable, and that ASBOs are being used where people have mental health problems where treatment would be more appropriate. There is also evidence that conditions on ASBOs are unreasonable and the behaviour would constitute criminal offences in any event.

It is of concern that the lower level of proof needed to obtain a conviction circumvents criminal proceedings. Certain local authorities are using ASBOs to clear sink estates of problematic families and individuals. This appears to avoid dealing with wider environmental problems on those estates and also avoids putting in place wider social policies that would deal with the underlying problems of anti social behaviour. In Napo’s view the time is right for a fundamental review of the use and appropriateness of Anti Social Behaviour Orders by the Home Offce.

Harry Fletcher - 7 April 2005
The Full report as a PDF file is available here

Call for full Government Review of ASBOs

Asbo Concern is a campaigning alliance of organisations and individuals who are concerned about the use of anti social behaviour orders in our communities. They work to bring together all those concerned about the way ASBOs are used - charities, professionals, trade unions, community groups, parents, young people and others - in a joint campaign.

Asbo Concern wants a full public government review of ASBOs and the way they are used.

We want to highlight the problems with ASBOs and the need for alternative ways of tackling anti-social behaviour. We also aim to counteract the scapegoating and stigmatising of children, young people and other vulnerable groups, and to campaign for properly funded youth services and support for those who need it.

See the website for a full statement of beliefs and aims, news on ASBOs.

Speakers at the Inaugural Meeting on April 7th at the Friends Meeting House, London included
Shami Chakrabarti - Director, Liberty
Frances Crook - Director, Howard League for Penal Reform
Harry Fletcher - assistant General Secretary NAPO
Deborah Coles - Inquest
Niki Adams - Legal Action for Women,
Jenny Jones - Green Party GLA member
Oli Rahman - Respect councillor

Group fights for review of Asbos Guardian 08.04.2005

A triumph of hearsay and hysteria Guardian 05.05.2005


Institutionalised spite Chris Quayle, Red Pepper 05.2005

Chris Quayle argues that ASBOs don’t work, have no regard for the niceties of normal legal process, and are an excuse for ignoring the causes of antisocial behaviour. ASBOs are targeting the vulnerable so the government can win votes

ASBO - serious potential for criminalising children

We tend to believe we live in the United Kingdom and that we are a homogenous society - the response by the Authorities to ASBOs is not uniform....In June 2004 The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland published a response to the Anti-Social Behaviour (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 in June 2004. (They don't always put cameras on lamp post in NI)

8. Conclusion

8.1 The potential criminalisation of children and young people in societies and communities that traditionally have not resourced support and care for those children can be construed as a “double-punishment” for the child or young person. In an age where governments are to be commended for taking a “social cohesion” or “community cohesion” approach to eradicating community conflict and tension, the use of ASBOs may be seen to contradict the social justice model.
8.2 The Equality Commission recognises that often, community conflict arises where inequalities have not been adequately addressed and therefore welcomes targeted action and resources to address disadvantage at community level, which in many circumstances can alleviate anti-social behaviour. The Commission believes that this is a more humane and effective means of addressing the issue.
8.4 The Commission does not consider that ASBOs reflect the particular political, social, economic and community context and structures in Northern Ireland and their marked difference to those in GB. The Commission does not consider ASBOs to be appropriate for Northern Ireland and believes that there is serious potential for criminalising those children, young people and families who already experience disadvantage and are therefore a draconian approach to a community cohesion problem.

Views that are perhaps not restricted to the special circumstances of Northern Ireland.

Hi-Five fashion statements.iPod, I want.

Chicago Tribune today ....


"Parents are told by psychologists that they should pick their battles with their kids. But should they pick the iPod battle, the cell phone battle or the R-rated movie battle?"

-- Susan Linn, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and Judge Baker Children's Center, counts Apple's iPod among the expensive hi-tech fashion accessories straining relations between kids and parents.

ASBO cafe - offends Police

BBC Online Friday, 20 May, 2005,

A Bristol man with an ASBO has been criticised by police for opening a burger van called the 'ASBO snack bar'.

Leroy Trought, 43, was given a two-year Asbo in March for putting up a sign in the car park of his Bristol pub, saying "porking yard".

City magistrates ordered him to change the wording to "parking yard" at the pub in St Judes, when it was revealed the premises are next to a mosque.

The order was sought by Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council after they received complaints from residents in the St Judes area who said the sign was racially and sexually. He was ordered not to display any abusive or insylting signs.

Speaking about the van, Mr Trought said the name was not meant to be offensive. "It's proved very successful so far," he said.

He added that naming the business the Asbo Snack Bar was meant as a joke and as a snub.

Inspector Phil Davis of Avon and Somerset Police said: "Mr Trought is obviously not taking the issue seriously, but causing intimidation or insulting members of the community is a serious issue.

"If he does breach the terms of the Asbo he potentially faces a prison sentence."

....... HELP. The Police fight Crime .......

Youth crime starts early ........

MORI Youth Survey 2004
Summary of findings

The findings from the MORI Youth Survey 2004 (commissioned by the Youth Justice Board) show that:

# 26% of young people in mainstream education have committed a crime
# 60% excluded young people have offended
# Overall, however, offending levels have remained stable since 2001.
A higher proportion of boys have offended than girls, as have a higher proportion of young people who are black, compared with young people who are white or Asian.

# In mainstream schools; 31% of boys have committed a crime, compared with 20%
of girls; 37% of young people who are black have offended, compared with 26% of
young people who are white and 20% Asian.

# In excluded projects, 65% of boys admit to committing a crime, compared with
48% of girls.

This year, the peak age for offending is 14 – slightly younger than in previous years.

The Youth Survey findings suggest that, if a young person has not committed an offence
by the age of 14, they are unlikely to do so.

However, the most common age for first time offending is between the ages of 11 and 12 among mainstream offenders, and between 10 and 11 among excluded offenders.

This is a lengthy and detailed report but these are the most significant findings. As Fagin and the Jesuits know .... catch 'em young. They are young AND they are excluded ... are you thinking what I am thinking ?

Problem youths – Parents want public meeting

11th March 2005 BY JACK HUNTER Weston Mercury

Police are to launch a crackdown on youths causing havoc on a Locking Castle estate.

A large number of young people gathered and caused trouble in the Maltlands area at the weekend. "A number of youths were arrested and taken to the police station. They were released pending a decision on further action.

"We will give the area extra attention with high profile policing, particularly at weekends. " said a police spokesman. "If the issue doesn't die down in the coming weeks we will consider using a dispersal order, in consultation with North Somerset Council.

North Somerset councillor Andy Wright said: "Parents have been asking whether a public meeting could be organised to talk about the issue. There's obviously quite a bit of concern about it."

Corby Town Centre Dispersal Order Hailed A Success

04/02/2005 Northampton Police Website

A DISPERSAL Order to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in Corby town centre has been hailed a success by officers on the Northern Police Area.

The Dispersal Order came into force November 1st 2004. A total of 25 people have been dispersed from the town centre and 192 people were banned from the area for 24 hours.
Of those 192, six people were arrested for breaching the Order. The number of violent offences recorded in the town centre area fell from 64 to 39 compared with the previous 3 months and criminal damage fell from 29 to 13 for the same period.

Community Action Sergeant Tim Britton, who is based at Corby Police Station, said: “The Dispersal Order has proved a success with both crime and anti-social behaviour decreasing over the three-month period.

The Dispersal Order officially ended on February 1.

Officers carried out high-visibility patrols of the town centre area along with Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to enforce the order and reassure the public.

31/01/2005 Northampton Police Website

The first Dispersal Order on the central policing sector has been signed, authorising a clampdown on anti-social behaviour in and around the Colwyn Road and Shakespeare Road area of the Mounts.

Cllr Liz Tavener, cabinet member responsible for community safety, said, "It is disappointing that we have to use another Youth Dispersal Order. The powers are effective in tackling the problem in the short term to improve the quality of residents' lives. However the council and its partners have a duty to find longer term solutions."

Man murded in Hailsham, Sussex , youths arrested.

Police are treating the death of a man in the High Street area of Hailsham Sussex as murder.(AP, Guradian, BBC)
Detectives investigating the death of a 40-year-old man, who was attacked by a group of youths after a row outside his home, have made "a number of arrests".

Police believe the victim and his attackers knew each other. The assault took place at 9.30 on Sunday and he was later pronounced dead at Eastbourne District general Hospital. The unnamed victim, was "beaten all over", according to police.

DCI Tony O’Donnel is reported saying , “We believe this was not a random attack," …."We have identified around six youths who we believe to be involved.

"Although we are still trying to establish a motive, one possibility is that this was the result of an altercation over a relationship."

Local shoppers said gangs of youths often hung around the town centre in the evening. "There is always vandalism taking place," teaching assistant Martin Hillman, 55 is reported saying. “There are so many gangs of lads around of an evening and there is always vandalism taking place. It is a no-go area and people keep out of town." He added that the police presence was not high enough to deter rowdy gangs of youths from congregating in the town centre.

Retired resident Ricky Hay, 61, said: "They run amok here of an evening. "If you walk through the town centre you're taking a chance and there are no police about to help you."

He added that the police presence was not high enough to deter rowdy gangs of youths from congregating in the town centre.

What is a Dispersal Order ?

Dispersal Orders were introduced under Part 4 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003.
The Act gives any "relevant officer" - that is a police officer of or above the rank of Superintendent the power to issue (but also requires the approval of the Local Authority) a notice establishing a dispersal regime for a specified area for a period not exceeding 6 months where he has reasonable grounds to believe:

(a) that any members of the public have been intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed as a result of the presence or behaviour of groups of two or more persons in public places, and

(b) that anti-social behaviour is a significant and persistent problem in the relevant locality.

Once the notice has been issued, the powers of both police officers and police community support officers (PCSO’s) are extended. If they have reasonable grounds for believing that the presence or behaviour of a group of two or more persons in any public place in the relevant locality has resulted, or is likely to result, in any members of the public being intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed they may give one or more of the following directions:

(a) a direction requiring the persons in the group to disperse (either immediately or by such time as he may specify and in such way as he may specify),

(b) a direction requiring any of those persons whose place of residence is not within the relevant locality to leave the relevant locality or any part of the relevant locality (either immediately or by such time as he may specify and in such way as he may specify), and

(c) a direction prohibiting any of those persons whose place of residence is not within the relevant locality from returning to the relevant locality or any part of the relevant locality for such period (not exceeding 24 hours) from the giving of the direction as he may specify;

Those who remain in or return to the relevant locality having been asked to leave may face 6 months imprisonment and/or fines of up to £5,000.

For those whom the police reasonably believe to be under the age of 16, after 9pm, the regime is tougher - if unaccompanied by an adult, they may be removed to their place of residence, or they are likely to suffer significant harm there, to a place of safety.

To date more than 400 dispersal areas have been set up in England and Wales

Liberty challenge Dispersal Orders under Human Rights Act

A 15-year-old boy from Richmond-upon-Thames, south-west London, told the high court (Guradian Friday May 27th 2005)that the creation of two "dispersal areas" in his neigh bourhood infringed his human rights, preventing him from going to band practice, walking the dog and running errands for his mother. ( R (on the application of W) V the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis and the London Borough of Richmond on Thames.)

The teenager whose complaint led Liberty, the human rights group, to bring its application for a judicial review of the curfew and dispersal orders, lives in a dispersal zone in Richmond.

Liberty is arguing that the curfews infringe four articles of the Human Rights Act: the right to liberty, respect for private life, the freedom of assembly and freedom from discrimination.

Alex Gask, Liberty's legal officer, said: "There is a real danger of sweeping 'anti-yob powers' demonising an entire generation of mostly decent kids."

Commenting on the case James Welch, Legal Director of Liberty said:

"The Prime Minister has prioritised creating a culture of respect in Britain. He should remember that respect is a two-way street. These powers fail to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty. No one objects to reasonable sanctions for bad behaviour. He should attack that behaviour and not all children."

Simon Jenkins Times 29/5/05 ..."it is not traditional values that are declining but traditional means of enforcing them." commenting on the case.

New Youth Justice System is Proving Successful

Young offenders going through the new youth justice system are less likely to be reconvicted according to a report from the Audit Commission (published 21/1/04) .

Reconviction rates of young people given reprimands has fallen by 10% since the reforms were introduced and young offenders are much less likely to offend whilst on bail, with the rate falling from one in three in 1996 to one in five now.

Whilst the adult prison population has continued to soar (with the huge costs this entails), the introduction of new sentences for juveniles and the fall in the numbers reconvicted have meant the juvenile prison population has not.

The Audit Commission's study, Youth Justice 2004, reviews the changes that have taken place since its ground-breaking report of 1996, Misspent Youth which led to significant organisational changes.

The findings show that:

· Young offenders New Youth Justice System is Proving Successful they are now dealt with much more quickly - they are sentenced in half the time that it took 7 years ago.

· By 2003 the authorities took constructive steps to engage with 90% of young offenders who were caught by police, more than double the figure two years earlier.

· More than one in three young offenders now receive the new Referral Orders or Reparation Orders.

Audit Commission Chairman James Strachan said:

"These are encouraging findings. Public concerns about the level of crime dominate the media. Here we have some good news: a new way of dealing with young offenders that is working; young offenders on the new programmes are now less likely to be reconvicted than before."

The Report also says ..."Many young offenders who end up in custody have a history of professionals failing to listen, assessments not being followed by action and nobody being in charge. If effective early intervention had been provided for just one-in-ten of these young people, annual savings in excess of £100m could have been made."


Generally this is encouraging news ... why does it not get reported? Why is there a general perception of unruly kids .... why do the media continue to demonise the young ..... why do people demand more penalties ...... more surveillance ? Why is the debate about youth crime so ill informed ? Why don't we listen to the young ?

Let's remember it's we who are failing ... not the kids.

Crime Prevention is The Word on The Street in Bradford

West Yorkshire Police's massive 'Steer Clear' campaign which is being run by the Target intiative started W/C Feb 16th 2005 using several new measures. Keeping crime free is the word on the streets of Bradford as ‘talking signs’ strike a chord with shoppers. (says their Press Release)

A 1st for Bradford, Police have introduced the signs at strategic points throughout the city centre. They relay messages such as: “Do not leave valuables in your car.” They can be used to give out appeals for witnesses to specific crimes.

Det Chief Insp Roger Gasson said: “The signs are an excellent way of getting crime prevention messages across at the right time. If you’ve just parked up your car, the signs give a timely reminder to make sure you haven’t left any property on view.

“The signs are changeable, so if there is a specific type of crime occurring in a particular area, such as mobile phone theft, we can re-record the message to cover that. We will also be using them to appeal for information about specific incidents.”

The signs are covered by CCTV and are fitted with specialist ‘tamper’ alarms.

Talking signs and increased patrols to curb car thieves

BBC Thursday, 19 May, 2005

Talking warning signs are being placed at beauty spots in Quorn,(pic Quorn Hall) Leicestershire. The motion-sensitive devices in the Quorn area will warn people not to leave valuables on display in vehicles. More than 140 thefts from vehicles recorded at beauty spots in the area over the past year.

Leicestershire Police will also carry out increased covert patrols in a bid to catch thieves in the country parks.

Police said there was a 23% reduction on 2004, officers are determined to see even fewer victims this year.

Insp Yallop said: "In addition to the signs, we will be increasing patrols in key areas and will be carrying out targeted covert operations in hotspot areas.

.......Talking signs backed up by increased patrols........

Less bureaucracy does not mean more bobbies on the beat - OFFICIAL

Press Release Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Ref 25/05 March 9, 2005
CHIEF POLICE OFFICERS WELCOME ENDORSEMENT OF NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING
ACPO lead on neighbourhood policing and Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary, Matt Baggot, said (inter alia) :

“Freeing up police officers from unnecessary paperwork and administration is something we are all working towards, but we must be careful not to equate the reduction in bureaucracy with deployment back on the front-line. More effective than having simply greater numbers on the streets is having the right people and the right numbers deployed in the right places, where the public want it and where they need it.”

The ASBO no-one refuses

PRIVATE EYE has this wonderful story in "Funny Old World " this week (No 1133 Page 7)

"My client admits that he was drunk when he created a disturbance at Weymouth Bay Caravan Park," defending solicitor Roger Maxwell told Weymouth Magistrates Court. "He admits that he used threatening words and behaviour, he admits to shouting and banging on caravan doors, and he admits to swearing at the police when they handcuffed him. It is also true that he is already the subject of a two-year Anti-Social Behaviour Order. But in mitigation, I should point out that, due to administrative error, the wording on the ASBO specifically states that he is 'prohibited from not being drunk in a public place'"


After consultation with his fellow magistrates, Chairman of the bench Colin Weston passed judgement on thirty-eight-year-old Stephen Winstone. "It is fortunate for you that the ASBO has been badly written, because otherwise we would have been looking to sentence you to prison for up to a couple of years. However, you were technically fulfilling the terms of your ASBO by being drunk in public, so the court will show leniency to you. You are fined £100." (Dorset Echo, 17/03/05. Spotter: Sue Webb)

...a small and disorderly queue formed outside Weymouth Magistrates Court later all requesting being issued with an ASBO...

Tayside issue 55 on the spot fines for Anti Social Behaviour per week.

Tayside Police launched a year long pilot scheme in the force area, on April 1, of fixed penalty notices for Anti-Social Behaviour for people over 16. The fining powers are contained in the Anti-Social Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004.

The Tayside pilot is being paid for with £130,000 from the Scottish Executive.
By May 9th , In Tayside, police officers had issued 277 fixed-penalty notices for anti-social behaviour, of which 104 had been paid.

Once issued, the recipient must either pay the fine or request a court hearing within 28 days. Payment of the notice involves no admission of guilt and does not result in a criminal record.

The new scheme is part of a Government crackdown on Anti-Social Behaviour. The approach is similar to “conditional offers” for some motoring offences and has the aims of speeding up justice, reducing bureaucracy, freeing up police and court time and reducing minor Anti-Social Behaviour through the immediacy of its impact. It will also increase the amount of time officers spend on the street dealing with more serious crime and free the courts to deal with more serious offending.

Fixed-penalty orders can be issued: Riotous behaviour. Refusing to leave licensed premises. Urinating or defecating in circumstances that cause annoyance to others. Being drunk and incapable in a public place. Being drunk in a public place in charge of a child. Refusing, to the annoyance of others, to stop playing a musical instrument, singing and playing radios on being required to stop.

ASBO - No "hoodie" or cap for 5 years for Manchester boy

Friday May 27 2005 BBC Newsround A 16-year-old boy from Manchester has been given an ASBO that bans him from wearing a hooded top for five years.

Dale Carroll from Cheetham was part of a gang that caused lots of problems for people living in Collyhurst Village, a court heard.

In one incident Carroll, also known as Elms, tried to cut down a CCTV camera with a chainsaw.

The ASBO also bans him from wearing a cap and from meeting more than two people at once, apart from his family.

ASBO on 'suicide' woman upheld

BBC Friday, 29 April, 2005,

A judge has refused to lift an ASBO on a young woman made repeated suicide attempts.
Kim Sutton from Bath jumped into rivers, dangled from a bridge and threatened to leap from multi-storey car parks.

The 23-year-old is not mentally ill, but does have a personality disorder and her barrister said she needed help not legal sanctions.

However, the judge said the ASBO was necessary to protect rescuers and members of the public and remarked that since it had been imposed she had not made further suicide attempts.
Criticising the decision, "Marjorie Wallace of mental health charity SANE said: "I think it's very sad. It looks as though everybody has given up on her.

"Although it was said that she didn't have a mental illness we are coming across more and more people who are getting these ASBOs instead of getting the mental health services they need." Yes...that's right it says "safe , just and tolerant society"

CCTV nuclear leak missed for 3 months

NW Evening Mail Published on 28/05/2005

A leak which closed Sellafield’s Thorp plant has found nuclear fuel was seeping from a fractured pipe for three months before it was detected. (leak = 90,000 litres, or half an Olympic swimming pool)

British Nuclear Group has ordered improved testing and maintenance of instruments which should have warned that the mixture of spent uranium and plutonium fuel dissolved in acid was going missing.

Mr Snelson said he was disappointed that the leak, discovered by a CCTV camera on April 19, had not been seen sooner.

....... which shows that CCTV is as good as the folks watching .. or not as the case may be.

1st offender caught by new CCTV cameras

Rochdale Observer : 29th April 2005

First offender caught by new CCTV cameras

A TEENAGER who was prosecuted for vandalising a phone box is the first to be caught by new CCTV cameras in Smallbridge.....

Ward Councillor Jean Ashworth says there is a big fear of crime in the area, with nearly all the shops having to install electronic shutters.

She said: “I have always supported the CCTV, we only had one complaint about it, which was from a woman saying it was looking into her bedroom, but you’ll always have those complaints.”

.............…but of course we simply ignore them –

Family row on CCTV featured on Granadaland TV

At approximately 10.50 on 27th May 2005 ITV news from Manchester(section of National News) showed several detailed colour stills from CCTV footage from Rochdale Centre CCTV as part of a news item.

The newsreader explained that what was an apparent abduction of a young Asian woman was part of a family argument and no complaints had been made, nor charges made.

This bizarre news item begs many questions.

Why were these images broadcast ? The participants were known to the Police and evidently had provided an explanation for this incident which had been accepted. There was no suggestion that witness identification was wanted nor was it needed. There was apparently no crime committed, therefore none to solve. No request for public assistance was made, no contact details provided.

Was this merely shown as entertainment ? Why were these images supplied to ITV ? Who made the decision to provide them and for what stated reason ? Did ITV pay for the use of the images, if so how much and to whom ? Why did ITV show them on the news ?

This raises serious questions about the use of CCTV, privacy, ownership of images obtained, their use and publication, which must be asked…and must be answered. big.bro will be asking Chief Superintendent Sweeney to answer the questions raised above. We will also raise the issue with RMBC and local Councillors.

Elswehere today, the case of 4 men in Liverpool charged with “ voyeurism and misconduct in public office", noted in an earlier posting, continued today. The 4 council workers who were in court, didn’t enter pleas but solicitors for the men maintained they were innocent of the charges. The case was adjourned for a preliminary hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on 14 June.

Open Letter to RMBC CE Ellis Chf Sptd Sweeney Rochdale Police

big.bro
www.big-bro.blogspot.com

6 Albury Drive
Rochdale
OL12 7SX

Tel : 861552 e-mail zizania@gmail.com
Dld by Hand 27th May 2005
Chief Superintendent Terry Sweeney
Chief Executive RMBC Roger Ellis

CCTV in Norden

I note from the Rochdale Observer 25th May 2005 that you have launched a Rochdale Safer Communities Strategy which I have not yet been able to read, as there is no copy available in the Library yet.

I note inter alia that Roger Ellis (CE RMBC) is quoted as saying “he believes that one of the most effective crime prevention measures is the extra cash (quoted as £300,000) being “poured” in to CCTV surveillance over the next 3 years. “

“We will use the information from the public to find out where most crime is committed and move the cameras from place to place”

You may be aware that I contacted 2 weeks ago , my Councillors, Hobhouse, van Reden, Jane Gartside and James Gartside about the recent installation of a “mobile” ( I think this really means moveable) camera and associated “talking lamppost” immediately adjacent to the war Memorial Garden in Norden.

Despite repeated requests I have failed to be provided with information about who made the decision to install this camera, on what information and why it was installed without any reference to the Information Commissioners Code of Practice. I might point out that it took 9 days to eventually contact Lee Durrant (due to the lack of knowledge of the Cllrs and the absence of the required public sign) who has some (very unclear) responsibility. Both he and James Gartside spoke of a “Youth” group, details of whose function, status, composition, dates of meetings, decisions I still await.

As my house backs onto Shawfield School I have been I have been visited by the activities of unruly youth for over 18 years, the intensity of which varies from year to year, and to a large extent upon the weather and season. The last time, some years ago, I reported vandalism to the Police, I saw 3 youths cause (it subsequently became apparent, £4,000 of damage), watched their exit from the school and told the Control Room that if a car arrived quickly I could accompany them and identify the culprits. 8 hours later a WPC arrived who was advised I had made a “complaint”. This is a typical experience, not only of myself but many other people – as a consequence of this lack of response I and many others long ago ceased reporting problems ranging from high spirits to excessive criminal damage. As a consequence any crime / incident reporting figures are inaccurate and distorted.

Repeatedly in conversation with these troublesome people, they repeat the mantra that they are bored, they have nothing to do, nowhere to go.

As a consequence I think that before massive sums of money are committed, before CCTV cameras and talking signs are disposed, before Dispersal Orders are scattered far and wide I have suggested to the Councillors that a Public Meeting (or a succession of them) be called to debate this issue. To date they have failed to respond to this request. I have obtained Legal Opinion to a Council which inter alia says , “There are no formal guidelines on Local Authorities and Police consulting in relation to a Dispersal area….However with partnership working…where the Police have identified problems you should draw up an alternative strategy for dealing with the issues. This could be through developing evidence on specific individuals and targeting their actions. involving support agencies such as youth workers to look at prevention methods or developing relationships with the community to identify alternative means of tackling the issue.”

Having made private enquiries and as a result of setting up very recently a website to air and discuss the associated issues I am aware that there is a very wide and broad agreement by Norden residents of all ages, for such an open, transparent and democratic forum. It is evident that current structures and procedures are inadequate to provide that representation.

I am reluctant to leap frog the role of the democratically elected local Councillors, but if they fail to represent public opinion – principally by ignoring it, then aggrieved residents and tax payers will take unilateral action which will lead to unnecessary division and friction.

I would therefore welcome your prompt response and suggestions to the following timetable for action :

1 ) Removal of the currently installed camera and talking lamp post.
2 ) Initiation of a properly prepared case for the same, under the CCTV Code of Practice which includes a public meeting to discuss the issue (before any action is taken) – to form a model for other areas in the Borough.
3 ) Move forward with any plans, agreed ideas from such a meeting to cover public concerns / anxieties / desires.

Failing a reasonable response, I and other residents intend to convene such a meeting and invite the appropriate RMBC staff / Police / Fire / Social Services . YOT and other interested agencies to consider the current problems of youthful damage / nuisance / alcohol misuse etc., and also to prepare a proposal for the use of the shortly to be redundant Library building on Edenfield Road to be utilised as a centre for local Youth.

Finally I would welcome the receipt of the evidence to support the reported claim of the CE MBC that –“ he believes that one of the most effective crime prevention measures .. is CCTV etc .,“

I have personally designed the software for monitoring the activities of users of a CCTV system in a large secure establishment and have when I was in business involved in designing and operating Wireless networks. I have also researched this matter and am now actively catching up on current knowledge and experience. I am unaware of any publicly available information that would support this claim – I would therefore welcome the sight of any such evidence or be advised where I might find it. CCTV certainly has a role in certain distinct and discreet areas of crime detection and evidence gathering, but I do not think (although in the absence of details of the scheme’s objectives which are required to be made public under the Code of Practice it is impossible to be certain) the current Norden scheme falls under that category.

As the CE RMBC is prepared to make such confident public statements, which evidently form the basis of the expenditure of considerable and continuing sums of public funds, I can reasonably assume that the appropriate evidence is readily available, and that such evidence is readily available for inspection and discusson..

I believe public policy is best moved forward on the basis of co-operation and agreement, rather than in an adversarial and contested fashion. I look forward therefore to an early and helpful response as I know that there is a large reservoir of public feeling and opinion that supports the above suggestions, currently not marshalled or organised, and to some extent silent, but which can rapidly be gathered to express their current concerns.

I look forward to hearing your prompt, detailed, and helpful response. I can be readily contacted at the above address. We need to concentrate our energies as the holiday season looms when youth seeks to express it’s energy – let’s make sure it is funnelled into useful and non disruptive activity.

The ball, as they say is in your court.



Edward Teague

PS A copy of the Rochdale Safer Communities Strategy would be welcome.

CC by e-mail to Cllrs Hobhouse, van Reden, James / Jane Gartside.
Lee Durrant RMBC
Copy posted on the big.bro website

Sussex Police spend £380,000 on schemes for the young.

Sussex Police Authority leads the way in helping young people, it sets aside more than £380,000 each year for grants to address community safety and fear of crime issues. More than 30 projects were funded in the last year, mostly involving young people and vulnerable people.

GO 4 IT

"Go 4 it" provides practical skills in all aspects of the motor trade to over 200 young people across Crawley, Mid Sussex and Horsham. The project provides youngsters with safe driving skills and will help them to develop opportunities to find successful employment and divert young people at risk of offending from getting involved in crime. The scheme is managed by Crawley College, supported by West Sussex, Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex councils and youth services in the area. (Tayside Police (follow link for details of many other schemes) have a BANGERSTOX scheme aimed primarily at combating car crime. Young people are referred to a 12-week course, which includes car maintenance and the chance to race a buggy style vehicle or larger stock car at relevant venues. Young people are also encouraged to develop their skills, and move onto relevant further education at Perth College. Some young people have been funnelled into employment through the project. see Alastair McClinmont 01738 444244)

Herstmonceux Skateboard Park

The Authority is helping to launch this project to build a BMX and skateboard course for young people in the area so they don’t use unsuitable areas to skate on.

SNAP Dance Events - Say No And Phone (SNAP) is a Crimestoppers initiative to discourage young people from using drugs. Dance nights have taken place across Sussex including Eastbourne, Worthing and Haywards Heath. These events attract hundreds of young people with the emphasis on you don't need drugs to get high and they have been very successful.
If you would like information about the Authority's grants and an application form, please contact:
Emma Welfare / Member Support Officer
East Sussex BN7 1SW
Telephone: 01273 482634

Police Community Support Officers get thumbs down in Camden

Camden Gazette 25th May 2005

A MORI poll was undertaken recently in Camden, London this showed ;

1. More than half the respondents say they have seen a police officer in their area in the last week.

2. 64 % of respondents said they were "a lot" reassured by police foot patrols.

Camden Town District Management Committee vice-chairman Paul Tomlinson, said: "PCSOs are cheaper policemen. Only being able to detain someone for 30 minutes is not really effective policing. If they're going to invest in officers it should be full police officers not PCSOs."

Mr Tomlinson added: "I've seen two police on the beat this morning, walking along the pavement. There's more activity, which is good. That's what we want and that's what we're paying for.

Silla Carron, chairwoman of the Clarence Way Tenants' Association, in Camden Town, said:
"The police are doing their job”, she added: "PCSOs are wannabes.” , she added ,” You'd be better off with a copper who's got the power of arrest.”

Inspector Taylor Wilson, of Camden police, said: "I don't know why the public feels that way about PCSOs”
----------------------
Perhaps Inspector Taylor should get out on the streets of Camden and ask a hoodie what a "wannabe" is.

Westminster Council listens in to Soho crowds.

Big Brother is listening... as well as watching ...see pic.
Iain Thomson, VNU net 04 May 2005

Westminster Council is piloting a scheme to install microphones on lampposts to augment CCTV coverage with audio snooping.
7 microphones are now in place in and around the Soho area of London. Stage 2 of the project will see microphones put up in "noise hotspots" Lissom Grove and Churchill Gardens housing estates.

"Currently if a resident complains about noise the offenders could have stopped by the time an official can get to the scene," said a council spokesman.

"The microphones only activate if noise levels reach above a certain threshold. There isn't someone listening in to everyone 24 hours a day."

Both the cameras and microphones can be moved and focused on any problems. The microphones will use the existing Wi-Fi network that links the cameras to Westminster's central monitoring station.

The council insists that there are no plans to introduce blanket coverage across Westminster.

One of the problems the microphone designers faced was how to deal with London's pigeons. The spokesman confirmed that the cameras had been designed "with London's avian population in mind".
------------
Pity it wasn't designed with London's human population in mind - don't under any circumstances use any rude words, tell a dirty joke.....

CCTV thief nicks himself

ic Renfrewshire report

Alan Hill filmed himself as he nicked the security camera from a complex for the elderly in the West End of Paisley.

Hill, 31, of Waverley Road, Foxbar, Paisley, pleaded guilty at Paisley Sheriff Court to stealing the security camera from the Renfrewshire Council-run complex - Gallagher House in March 2004.

The court was told the CCTV unit had been in position and working when the warden carried out her checks and ended her shift. Next morning she returned to find it had been removed but film footage viewed showed a male wearing a distinctive Republic of Ireland top and with a tattoo on his elbow, had been captured taking it.

Police were called and, on seeing the evidence against him, quizzed Hill, who, despite the footage, denied involvement.

Sheriff Kavanagh asked: "Was he looking into the camera while he stole it?"

He was told that was what had taken place.

A defence agent stressed her client had been under the influence of drugs at the time.

Sheriff Kavanagh deferred sentence for 6 months and called for a supplementary social enquiry report, ordering the accused to be of good behaviour.

He warned sternly: "I want to see if the progress you are making can continue but if you offend during this period, I will jail you."

A friend of the accused said: "He realises now how stupid he was. You just don't go out and film yourself nicking a camera. He's a bit of a laughing stock."

Here is a good idea... er....

Mobile CCTV to keep eye on park BBC report

Rangers at a newly Middlesbrough's re - furbished Albert Park spark are using CCTV in their van to cut the "threat of anti-social behaviour."

The equipment in the £12,000 scheme will be used for areas not covered by static cameras.

The aim is to "reassure park users" and tackle problems such as underage drinkers, assaults and thefts.

Park manager Stuart Johnson: "We thought it would be a good idea to put a mobile CCTV camera in the van to cover the blind spots.

"It is also a back-up and deterrent to help the staff who work every day in the park from early in the morning to late hours at night."
-------------
Now forgive me if I'm wrong, but it needs a person looking at the screen, sat in the van that has the camera attached. Now could that person be walking about checking on the park ? So we spend £12,000 so this guy can sit down and watch a monitor all day instead of patrolling ? That doesn't seem like a good use of time ...or money to me.

Stuart Johnson thinks it is a good idea - I think it's a time and money wasting idea.

Liverpool City staff use CCTV system for "voyeurism"

CCTV workers on voyeurism charge BBC May 25th 2005

Four council workers from Merseyside who allegedly used CCTV cameras as a "peeping tom" tool have been charged with voyeurism.

It is claimed the men, who worked for Sefton Council, pointed a street safety camera into a woman's flat.

All four were also charged on Thursday with misconduct in a public office.

They are: Kevin Judge, 42, of Waterloo, Vincent David Broderick, 52, of Sefton, David Welsh, 40, of Anfield, and Mark Summerton, 37, of Kirkdale.( so it's not youths causing the trouble here then !)

At the time of the alleged incident, in November last year, the men were employed in the council's CCTV operation centre in Bootle.

Mr Summerton, of Humber Close, and Mr Broderick, of Waterside, also face a further charge of attempted voyeurism on a separate occasion.

A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said the men would appear before South Sefton Magistrates on 27 May.

Sefton Council has 70 cameras in Bootle, Waterloo, Crosby, Litherland, Netherton, Aintree and Southport. The exact location of the cameras in question has not been disclosed.
-------------------------

S0 these guys have been misusing the CCTV system - 7 months ago - yes 7 months ago - and they won't tell us where ? Surely the Code of Practice was designed to stop this sort of activity ?

Mobile camera puts yobs in frame - BBC today

BBC Online 25th May 2005
A new mobile CCTV camera is to target troublemakers in Plymouth city centre.

Police will be able to deploy the £15,000 battery-powered machine at problem areas and monitor it from a viewer hidden in a briefcase.

It will also be linked to the CCTV centre which monitors 250 cameras in the city centre.

Town centre manager David Draffan, said: "It's like James Bond. Officers will be able to sit in a cafe round the corner and watch what's going on."

The machine, paid for by the city council and Home Office, will be deployed from Wednesday.(today)

-----------------
Well I suppose it beats having someone on ...the ...er well...beat ? But then he wouldn't feel like 007 then would he? Now is this discouraging crime ?

This is the sort of infantile thinking that pervades the idea of crime prevention in our towns and cities.

Here is an interesting use of Street CCTV ...

BREAKING NEWS: Strip traffic camera zooms in on bar-goers
State trooper spokesman says investigation ongoing

By Jon Gargis 15 September 2003
News Director Tuscaloosa Alabama

The traffic camera featured on Comcast Cable's Channel 45 was showing more than just traffic early Friday -- it was following people on the Strip.

The Crimson White learned at about 1:45 a.m. Friday that the traffic camera at the intersection of University Boulevard and Reed Street, which usually remains stationary, was panning, tilting and zooming in on people and objects along the Strip.

The Strip camera operator(s) manipulated the camera to zoom in on several college-aged women's breasts and buttocks as they walked down the street. The operator(s) also captured a group of young men who had spotted the camera's movement and were making various gestures and movements.

The manipulated camera was controlled by someone from the Alabama State Troopers Office.

"We don't condone that at the city, and we should think that neither would the State Troopers Office," Robinson said.

While Channel 45 usually shows an Alabama weather map for a few seconds and switches to various traffic cameras across the county for a few seconds at a time, the channel only showed the view of the University Boulevard and Reed Street intersection's camera. The instrumental music that usually plays on the channel was also absent during the broadcast of the Strip-focused camera.

..."We can tell where [the commands] came from, but right now we don't believe this act was an intentional override to put [the camera's view] on the channel," Howell said.

Howell and Robinson said they were made aware of the problem by the Tuscaloosa Police Department at 3:30 a.m. They said they were told the camera movement began after 3 a.m. and lasted until 4 or 4:30 a.m. They added they were unaware Friday afternoon of any camera manipulation before 3 a.m.

Robinson said actions could be taken against agencies that allow misuse of the cameras to happen.

"We're concerned that this does not happen again," he said.

and only last month

SF cop who reportedly ogled women is suspended for 9 months

Bay City News (San Francisco) Thursday, April 21, 2005

A police officer has been suspended from the SFPD for nine months for reportedly using surveillance cameras to ogle women at San Francisco International Airport, according to a spokesman with the San Francisco Police Commission.

Officer William Rossi received the maximum penalty, short of termination, Sgt. Joe Reilly said today.

Rossi was supposed to be patrolling airport roads and parking lots during his Feb. 29, 2004 shift, when he reportedly used the airport's closed-circuit television system to focus on women's breasts and buttocks, police Chief Heather Fong said in charging documents.

Rossi allegedly spent a total of 3 hours manipulating and monopolizing 6 of the cameras, charging documents say.
------------
That's why we have a Code of Practice in the UK. But of course if people don't follow it .....don't use it......

big bro Press release No 1

big.bro press
6 Albury Drive, Rochdale OL12 7SX 01706 861552 e – zizania@gmail.com

Wednesday 24th May 2005

big.bro is a newly formed group calling for a re-examination of the installation of a CCTV remotely controlled CCTV camera on Edenfield Road, Norden.
The procedures mandated by the Information Commissioner in the CCTV “Code of Practice” published by her under powers Section 51(3) b Data Protection Act 1998) have not been followed.

It appears that the intention of installing the camera was in response to problems and residents and traders complaints about youthful vandalism in the locality.
We therefore call for removal of the camera and associated talking lamp post and a full consultation with residents, traders and interested parties by the Councillors calling for a public meeting at Shawfield School and for them to ask for attendance by all the appropriate and interested Council / Government parties, Police / Fire / Social Services.

If the Councillors, who represent everyone in the area, do not do so, we will convene a meeting to allow full, fair, frank, open discussion of the problem that youths cause in the area. We also want to consider how we can utilise for the benefit of youth in the area the use of the soon to be redundant library building in Norden.
We feel that the installation of the cameras, was hasty, ill conceived, maladroit, failed to conform to the legally required procedures and was not based upon adequate local consultation, on the problems the system is supposed to address.

We have taken this matter up with Councillor Hobhouse, Wera van Reden, Jane Gartside and James Gartside and have not received to date any substantive response.

ENDS

More @ www.big-bro.blogspot.com

Why big bro ?

HI ! I'm Edward Teague 62, trained as a botanist, founded and ran, for 25 years, Software Systems Europe Ltd., designing software systems for manufacturing industry.
Norden resident for 19 years. Not a member of any political party. Hon. Treasurer of Norden Village Pigeon racing Club. Has been involved in local campaigns involving the rejection of a mobile radio mast near Shawfield School, and the Scoutmoor Wind Farm . For nearly 3 years in the 70’s taught evening classes at Buckley Hall Detention Centre.

I have very strong feelings about the reflexive response of society and authority to using legal, punitive measures to deal with children. Believes this stems from an undeclared war on our children.

Chemical contraception, abortion, selfish adult divorce ( do you ever hear of children divorcing their parents ?) have all taught people, alienation of the child from the womb to the classroom.

The war on adolescents, is increasingly waged by adults with legal and technological fixes, Dispersal Orders, ASBO’s, school exclusion, the medicalization of problems (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remember Dennis the Menace, Billy Whizz and the Bash Street Kids ? ) and their resultant treatment with chemicals…Ritalin, Risperidone, the use of SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors), including Prozac and Seroxat. The prurient demonisation of adolescent sexuality and sexual experimentation.

This of course always happens elsewhere – in the next town – in shopping malls says the Prime Minister – filling station says the deputy Prime Minister. You can identify the baddies by their hoodies ? Oh yeah ?

Now we have become more aware of a problem in Norden, that has been in our midst since I have lived here.

Reflexively we reach for the legal fix – Dispersal Orders – resulting in ASBO’s. To police this we demand CCTV cameras, talking lamp posts – we don’t want to catch them after the event – surely we should try harder to stop them before they start on that short, sharp, steep, slope to really criminal behaviour ?

Let’s just stop and have a good think about the problem before we proceed any further down the primrose path of even more state control. Some folks of course would prefer more street patrols of uniformed Police.

I was lucky I had a Big Brother. He looked after me, looked out for me, taught me the rules, showed me the kicks, pointed out the pricks. It was a big bad world out there. It is a big bad world out there.

That’s why we need a big bro

Agree ? Disagree ? get in touch 01706 861 552 or e-mail zizania@gmail.com

On the spit fines

Chewing gum is a spot on the pavement (US = sidewalk) a stain on the stone, that won’t budge – it costs local authorities a lot of money to remove.

Well, now the forces of Laura Norder are going to stop the spot, eradicate the stain.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 anyone can be fined on the spot up to £50 for littering – not something that absorbs PC Plod’s time or effort. Well the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 made littering illegal and the Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 defines gum and smoking materials (not just butts) as litter. Local Authorities can now fine you for spitting gum – that means the new breed of ersatz plods, Street Wardens, “Community” Wardens and maybe even Traffic Wardens can fine the gum spitter (but not the swallower) up to £50 – er…on the spot.

The Chewing Gum Action Group, (honestly) sponsored by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), includes chewing gum industry representatives, the Keep Britain Tidy Group, the DfES, the Local Government Association and the street-cleaning industry has launched a publicity drive which includes both "awareness-raising" advertising and publicity to reinforce strict enforcement measures. This includes posters in busy shopping areas and on telephone boxes and beer mats.

They want to stop gum- gobbing and save money for local authorities faced with big clean-up bills for scraping used gum off the streets.
A special trial began today in Preston and will be extended next month to Manchester and Maidstone.

Specially-designed disposal pouches will be handed out in pedestrian shopping areas. Local councils will also employ trained wardens to issue fines to those who drop gum.

Ben Bradshaw, the oleaginous Exeter MP who lives in Tony Blair’s trousers and is the Environment Minister (also singlehandedly has helped to effect the destruction of the North Sea Cod) said in Ministry Press Release:
"The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act passed by Parliament before the election included a range of measures to improve the appearance of the local environment. One of them was making it clear that chewing gum is litter and that people who get caught dropping it are liable to be fined.

Reaction to the campaign will be assessed ( let me guess, ...... let’s roll it out nationwide) and the information used to develop a national campaign later this year.

So yet again this Gubment of obsessed micro-managers are flooding our streets, overlooked universally by CCTV cameras, with swarming uniformed Wardens with powers for on the spit fines.

“Man proud man dressed in a little brief authority”.
Measure for Measure (Isabella Act II,Sc. ii)

Want my reaction to the campaign ? I fucking despair.

Treating Kids Like Dogs

Edited from a piece in the Albuquerque Tribune May 16, 2005, by M J Wilde

So I'm at the mall the other day to buy a book….

She wasn't taking her kid for a walk. No. This mall kid was in a harness on a leash. Mom was 10 steps behind the little nose-miner, who was straining so hard against the harness he looked like a bulldog muscling through his territory.

This, my friends, is what we've come to. We've created such a messed up society that children are unsafe and parents are scared to death to walk in any crowd.

This is how it's passed on, I thought. The idea that freedom can be controlled by fear. And nine times out of 10, fear seems to win.

I see them everywhere now. Soon that harness and leash won't just be for mall crawling or crowded airports or parks. We'll be putting kids on an umbilical leash as soon as they can walk. They'll create kid walking parks and McDonald's will sell happy-leash meals.



All I'm saying is I think some kids on leashes might grow up to be adults willing to be led around on choke chains held by the greedy hands of some omnipresent corporation like Disney or Wal-Mart or Burger King that will lobby to tattoo bar codes on their foreheads.



As good an idea as the harness and leash seems to be now, it has the potential to become like the straitjacket being tightened on our democracy. The leash and harness can only lead to more of the same for future generations.

There'll be more interest in such lame distractions like dumb-bunny runaway brides, Brad and Angelina, Jane Fonda's kinky sex stories and who was eliminated on "Survivor." Meanwhile, the government will continue to silently rip up the Constitution and pass bills that require us to submit to daily retinal scans and weekly Homeland Security colonoscopies.


Harness featured - Copyright © 2005 AhoyCaptain.com™ Inc., All Rights Reserved, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey 07922
Toll free: 888-464-5581 Local: 908-464-5581 FAX: 866-454-7459

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Home Office advice on issuing ASBO's

5.2 The two most relevant statutory provisions are section 115 of the Crime and Disorder Act and the Data Protection Act 1998:

• Section 115 provides that any person (whether a private individual or member of a public body) can lawfully disclose information, where necessary or expedient, for the purposes of any provision of the Act, to a relevant authority or a person acting on behalf of such an authority, even if he or she would not otherwise have this power. Under the Act "relevant authority" means: the chief officer of police, the police authority, the local authority, the probation committee or the health authority.

• The Data Protection Act exempts from its normal restrictions the disclosure of personal information, the provision of such data for the purposes of the prevention or detection of crime, or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, and where failure to disclose would be likely to prejudice those objectives in a particular case.

More Law, Less Order

The government has plans, post - election, to do more about, what the Prime Minister calls, yobbish behaviour and "disrespect".

Home Office minister Ms. Hazel Blears (single and childless) told the Sunday Observer that young offenders could be made to wear uniforms while carrying out community service punishments. "People feel very strongly that they don't often see justice being done." Ms. Blears also said she wanted parents to enforce sensible bedtimes for children and restore "structure" to family life, such as eating meals together.

In a rare spirit of generosity Ms, Blears said she did not want people " breaking rocks" in chain gangs, as in some parts of the USA …. but visibly doing something useful.

In typical style the “floating” of this nonsensical idea of “uniforms” is…according to a Home Office spokesman “an idea,” not a firm policy proposal.

Chris Stanley Head of Policy for the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (Nacro), dismissed the idea, which he said could cause vigilante action.

Mr Stanley added: "There's no evidence from anywhere that this type of thing has any deterrent effect."

The government feels it is empowered after the election to do more about “yobbish” behaviour and "disrespect".

This week the Queen will read a speech that is “rumoured” to include several measures to crackdown on violent crime. New measures will deal with binge drinking, give schools the "right" to search pupils for weapons, and propose giving community groups and parish councils the power to apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs).

Pics show Maricopa County chain female inmates on chain gang duty in Phoenix, Arizona October 21, 2003. Padlocked together by the ankle and marched military style the women are marched to a van to be transported to their work site. Women volunteer for chain gang duty to get out of lockdown, where 4 prisoners are shut in a cell 8' x 12' , 23 hours day. 30 days on the chain gang , picking up trash, weeding or burying bodies, they can get out of the punishment cell.

Declaring War on our Children.

This is the lampost located talking device near the Norden war memorial at the junctionof Edenfield Roaf and Shawfield Lane.

When approached it talks to you. It tells you that this area has Dispersal Notice issued and that more than 2 people congregating could result in legal action being taken.

There is also a CCTV camera offering views up and down (and roundabout) Edenfield Road.

They were installed in early May...Why ?


There have been persistent problems with young people congregating at night in Norden village which results in annoyance, noise, litter and mindless vandalism and damage to cars and public property.

This is ultimately the response of a society which has declared war on it's children.

This is the threadbare, morally bankrupot response of our elected representatives and the authorities to the idle antics of a few schoolchildren.

Re-inforced by the Prime Minister's and Deputy Prime Minister's public denunciation of young people defined by their clothing and obsessed with punishment thse devices, waste money, waste time in endless paperwork and produce zero effect on the children targetted. If anything they merely displace the nuisance and the damage.

It is intended to generate reasoned debate to examine realistic alternatives to this intrusive use of technology.

Plans are developing for a public meeting to be held in Norden.

Meanwhile if you want more information call 01706 861552 or e-mail big.bro@gmail.com to receive regular updates.

The Press on "Hoodies"

India Knight: Let them wear hoodies
Sunday Times 15th May 2005-05-14

Richard Garside, director of the Crime and Society Foundation, said the prime minister’s comments were “more in keeping with an episode of What Not To Wear, rather than a Downing Street press conference . . . I look forward to hearing of the appointment of Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine as special advisers on crime and fashion”.

Amanda Allard, of the children’s charity NCH, said: “People wear hooded tops to be cool, not to be intimidating. If you demonise hooded tops then you feed on people’s fears about young people.”

The Children’s Society said it was important “not to confuse fashion with behaviour”, Children's Society policy director Kathy Evans said: "The Children's Society urges children and young people to use their yearly spending power of £70 million to reverse the ban on so called yob clothing at Bluewater Shopping Centre. "This ban is a case of blatant discrimination based on stereotypes and prejudices that only fuels fear.

"The irony is that the ban is focused on a group who spend most of their money on food, drink, clothes and going out - main revenue sources for shopping centre outlets."


Everybody is scared of hoodies (says India) : other teenagers, men, women — and dogs probably. That’s why hoodies sell. No teenager is so well adjusted that he can’t do with a bit of anti-social backup from his clothing. Banning hoodies, sadly, will only reinforce the idea that they are shorthand for a particular kind of hard, urban cool. It might make wandering around Bluewater more agreeable but it will make hoodies more desirable than ever.

Hoodies ban rejected - Manchester Evening News

David Ottewell MEN reporter
SOME of Greater Manchester's biggest shopping centres will not be banning hooded tops and caps despite a growing crackdown backed by the prime minister.

The Manchester Evening News revealed yesterday that the Trafford Centre had been quietly operating a similar ban since it opened 7 years ago. Director of operations Gordon McKinnon said: "Many people feel intimidated by large groups of people hanging around, especially if they are wearing hoods, so we banned hoods, caps worn low, balaclavas and crash helmets.

Manchester Arndale and Spindles shopping centre in Oldham will not be joining the crusade against "hoodies". An Arndale spokeswoman said: "Our security staff will approach and talk to those acting anti-socially. We like to deal with these things on a personal level, to talk rather than to eject."

Mike Flanagan, centre manager at Spindles shopping centre, said: "I think a blanket ban is too heavy handed. That's why each case is treated on its own merits. (who mentioned blankets ?)

"Some people might just walk around wearing a `hoody' because that's the fashion."

Rob Dyson, manager at Bolton's town centre management company, said: "We are aware of this campaign and while we would have no hesitation in banning hats and hoodies, we do not have a significant problem with guys in hoods at the moment."

Greater Manchester Police said that from May 2004 to May 2005, only 1.2 per cent of robberies involved someone wearing a hooded top.

That is in stark contrast to comments made a year ago by the force's Insp Terry Compton, who claimed that more than half of robberies in south Manchester were carried out by people covering their faces with hoods.

"It's an intimidating look," he said at the time.