British Police Over-Reaction

[Nicholas Carey]

[filed under the "WTF" department...]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=397240&in_page_id=1766&in_page_id=1766&expand=true

12 year old children arrested, DNA-sampled, interrogated and locked up...over climbing a tree.


To the 12-year-old friends planning to build themselves a den, the cherry tree seemed an inviting source of material.

But the afternoon adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for Sam Cannon, Amy Higgins and Katy Smith after they climbed into the 20ft tree - then found themselves hauled into a police station and locked in cells for up to two hours.


Their shoes were removed and mugshots, DNA samples and mouth swabs were taken.

[Meerkat]

I think taking DNA samples is now SOP for the Brits as they turn the UK ever more into an Orwellian police/nanny state.

[jack grebe]

tahellinahandbasketno****

[Meerkat]

Unfortunately, our cops get those ideas and put them into practice here or try to get laws passed to do so.

The UK is trying to implement a national ID card system and now we're doing much the same with federal standards for driver's licenses with biometric data.

Video surveillance of public streets is kind of chilling too.

[Gonzalo]

Then there is the program by which the US federal government proposes to keep a data base of all college students, what classes they took and what their grades were. It'll be private, they say.


Under the proposal, the federal government would collect vast amounts of information about financial aid and grades of every student nationwide at public and private colleges.

The Senate is debating the idea as it prepares to renew the Higher Education Act.

[John of Phoenix]

You'd never even guess by looking at them. That's where DNA testing comes in, I guess.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/07/kids230706_228x146.jpg

[Nicholas Carey]

On a related note...

The BBC is reporting that Midlands police are going after kids playing hopscotch (chalk on the pavement, you know. Can't have that).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/5233262.stm

I though this sort of idiocy was limited to the USofA :D

[Gonzalo]

From comments to the Daily Mail web site, under the story posted by Nicholas.


Hurrah for the police. It is so much easier to arrest young children than viscious thugs, rapists and vile criminals.

These arrests will, no doubt, enhance their 'figures' so that they can present healthier statistics to the general public.

- G A Ware, York,UK


Although a bit heavy handed, the police were right to reprimand these children. If this approach (minus DNA testing) was taken and more children were given a short sharp shock, we would have less yobbos on the streets.

- Cathy, Watford, England


...Wanton vandalism is wanton vandalism. Of course the parents say that they just pulled off loose limbs, no-one takes responsability for either their or their childrens actions...When we don't back up those in authority whether teachers or police we give the impression to kids that they are able to do as they will with no comeback=thugs.

- Deborah, Surrey

[Gonzalo]

The BBC is reporting that Midlands police are going after kids playing hopscotch (chalk on the pavement, you know. Can't have that).

According to both stories, the police are cracking down on "low-level" crime. This approach is said to have worked in New York, where Guilliani had the police crack down on graffiti, jumping subway turnstiles, and various petty vandalism. This is supposed to instill a sense of order in a community, to prevent deterioration of buildings due to vandalism, and to prevent people from migrating to more serious crimes. It was supposed to have worked for NYC.

Cracking down on hopscotch and tree climbing seems extreme and counter-productive, though.

[jack grebe]

yup, just give them a complex, yaknow they are nothing but criminals anyway