What happened to bobbies on the beat?

Transient means that serious crime is not usually commited by locals. The norm these days is for a crew from one part of the country travelling to another part and committing a series of crimes in a short period before returning home. This is evidenced by home office statistics. The nature of these crimes is not normally offences against persons (i.e. murder, assualt, r*pe etc.) they are usually still more likely to be commited by a person known to the victim. These transient crimes are normally offences against property (i.e. theft, burglary etc. ) and they make up the biggest percentage of crime in the UK today.

Crimes of this nature are more transient today than they were decades ago due to it being much easier to move around the country quickly. More cars means more car ownership and more access to independent movement.

those who want a return to the old ways of bobbies on the beat are living in a world of blind romanticism. The criminals will not return to their old methods so why should the police?

Noblet, I'm not a police officer but I have worked with them a lot over my career. If I were I would be proud to say so.

Freddie says "Most crime committed these days is of a transient nature".

In what way is crime these days more "transient" than crime of a few decades ago? Shoplifting, mugging, breaking and entering, car theft, domestic violence, abuse of children, murder, brawling in the street - not much new there.

On the beat ! Nah let's go grab some drug dealer of fraudsters , I'm sure he will have some cash in his house or car . And we all know what happens next he gets taxed by the boys in blue!
That's why there not on the beat !

Freddie, you are allowing your blue slip to show, I could always smell a copper. I cannot smell this lazy deodorised version of today. I do not watch police drama & do not suffer from blind ignorance. Get real man criticisms of the police are a true in the main. In reality they deserted the beat years ago it was just denied. The public are always watching you Freddie, Intelligence to the police is sit on you’re snide back-side & wait for the grass's to blow up their neighbours, then turn a blind eye to the grass’s indiscretions.

Bobbies on the beat are no longer an effective use of limited resources.

This is a thing of the past and people need to get used to that idea. As with everything else in life crime has evolved. Most crime committed these days is of a transient nature and the only way to combat that is by intelligence based policing. Unfortunately this means that the police need to be elsewhere. The problem with the British public is that they expect the police to be superheroes. Only on 'The Bill' and other such programmes are they like that.

I foften feel very sad about the public's perception of the police. It is born out of a combination of tv drama and blind ignorance.

I know its not much of a gripe, but at 2-00am I looked through the bedroom window and saw a Police car flashing by at between 90-105 miles per hour. I accept maybe he had an urgent 999 call - but is any urgent call worth the risk he poses to others. I live on a busy dual carriageway, in an built up area, 600 houses line this road, and in my 10 years here he was the fastest speedster I've seen. At this time 2.00am we have city-night clubs emptying and each night the house is rocked by speeding cars, they appear to suck the air out of our house and the noise is ............? In the 10 years mentioned we have had 2 road deaths.

Tough on the police .they are wasters in uniform on a power trip !!!!
The help people write up statements for the courts - make it more tangible & guess what when the chap turns up to give his evidence he can't cause his statement is not in his own words !!
The CPS another bunch of prats just wasting court time on cases with no evidence!!!
Plain Hearsay !!!

The last time I complained to a traffic officer about the low standard of driving in Bradistan, he agreed with me. When I pointed out to him that he had the benefit of a traffic car to protect him, he continued looking for sympathy by pointing out that he had to drive to and from work in an ordinary car. Does that go any way to describe the pathetic modern police officer. I hope the officer in question reads this. I will introduce him to Dave the officer who told me that the police do not investigate crime anymore they rely on intellegence

Bobbies on the beat ? More like stich up merchants on the beat !!!!
Has everyone forgotten the amount of people sueing the police ?
The police should be out & about but all wearing body cameras !
And Boris Johnson should be held to account when the MET get it wrong !

How much is your safety worth? When you walk about the streets, how much do you have in your pocket? Do you have an expensive watch or mobile phone? Do you carry your laptop in one of those lovely bags with loads of pockets? What's in your wallet - are you a credit card man or a cash man? Out and about round the town, what value would you put on yourself?

And if you were injured or traumatised so that you couldn't work, what would that be worth? Suppose you suddenly couldn't look after your family? Or couldn't do the business in bed? Imagine you lost all your confidence and couldn't bring yourself to leave the house? Or say you are a young, good-looking man or girl who suddenly finds themselves disfigured? Come on, what are you worth?

£75, that's what you're worth.

£75 was the average fine handed out to convicted muggers by magistrates in 2008. They rob, they attack, they punch, they stab, they terrorise, they maim, they ruin your life and it costs them just £75. That's the price of a modest meal for two in a mediocre restaurant. With wine. That's what you're worth; prawn cocktail, steak and chips with all the trimmings, a dessert called "Death by Chocolate", a bottle of pinot grigio, two espressos and a chocolate mint. That's your life, that is.

Magistrates are bound by rules which link the fine to the criminal's ability to pay. Offenders with no income except for state benefits, and who often have severe addictions to drink or drugs, receive lower fines. Of course, this only takes into account their legitimate income. How could it do anything else? Tory justice spokesman Dominic Grieve said: 'Ministers have tried to bully magistrates to give fewer jail and community sentences, but it is no wonder magistrates have little confidence in fines when ministers haven't bothered to uprate fine levels in all the time they've been in power. No wonder public confidence in the justice system has been undermined.'

I totaly agree with you I am 66 years (young) when I was a youngster we had great respect for the police and I felt safe when a policeman was around nowdays I have seen so much going on its unbelievable.I know that there are lots of good cops but I am afraid that I dont have much respect for them nowdays I have always been an honest citizen never been in trouble but I have suffered over the feelingness of some police officers even my vicar runs the police down. lets hope that it all reverts back to the old times when you did the job because you cared not to be in a position to bully the public.

The over worked police patrol a lot of bus shelters dealing with civil matters like a poor old lady forgot to swipe her oyster card I would not help any member of transport staff who gets verbally and phycically assaulted. nor would I ever report any vandelism on the trains especialy southern.

I think , bobbies on the beat don't have a easy job....

Time 10am Saturday morning Kilburn High Road, in the middle of one of London's largest and longest general shopping streets, at the height of its weekly business.

Who and What are there there?

- Drug pushers flogging their wares openly on the streets

- Gangs on the collect for protection money racket

- Hoodies by the thousand

- Gangs of illegal Chinese immigrants withe their lookouts flogging pirated vidoes and DVDs

- Shouters flogging doubtful religions

Are there any policemen, communty services officers on the beat walking up and down looking for the crooks? None whatsoever.

A few streets away there are gangs of hundreds Parking Control Officers on the hunt for innocently parked vehicles, on which to clap huge fines.

What crimes are really important for our nation's welfare?

The police have now arrested certain individuals in connection with the Rhys Jones case. We await trials, convictions, sentencing etc. These arrests were made some 8 months after the murder offence was committed. I wonder if this is the typical amount of time taken to pursue a murder investigation and make arrests? Interesting.

Following my post of 27 Dec 2007, I should, for what it's worth, congratulate the Liverpool police on this progress. If all goes to plan, this should be worthy of well earned respect.

They became Racing drivers with a no come back Gurantee and legal thugs to break up embarasing protests

Come back the Bobby who clipped my ear or took me back home for my dad to do it or to balance the one old Smiley had given me
And all without knowing what I had done he didn't need to know he trusted the coppers judgment as most parents did Because they had Earned RESPECT

What happened to the Bobbie on the beat!???

They are all to busy counting the cash being screwed from motorists by fines from the ever increasing number of speed camera's, and other punative measures introduced since the present Government took power.

Anyone who owns a car (God forbid that they actually have the audacity to actually use it on the road) is now considered a bigger criminal than your "Friendly" neighbourhood drug dealer, Burgular, mugger, or terrorist.
Plus, it COSTS money to catch REAL criminals, persecuting the motorist is acutally a profitable, cost effective way of "cutting crime", without the physical risks.

And if you have a burglar in your house and you use methods to subdue him/her, you're more likely to get nicked for assault! That's if the burglar is still there by the time the police arrive.

As for motorway patrols. If you don't see them on motorways near to you, tune into ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, Bravo or Zone Reality on Sky TV and relive the past with Police, Camera, Action. They're pretty old but remind you of how the police used to be on our roads, they'd even pull tailgaters over. Now it's all done with speed cameras, CCTV or ANPR controlled from miles away.

I wonder if the reason they don't make PCA anymore is because there aren't many patrol vehicles on the motorways anymore. How could ITV justify making a show using motorway patrol cameras when they're just pointing to the opposite side of the motorway with the police officer waiting in their vehicle on those raised areas next to the hard shoulder.

Sid, although I don't live in the area if it's anything like here then I can tell you what is going on.
People have no trust, faith or respect in the police or criminal justice system to do a good job. People are afraid that they will get found out for supplying the police with info.
They simply cannot be trusted to keep that info safe.

Sid,

You are probably right - everyone knows who and where he is except for the police.

I sense he's being protected for whatever reason. He's obviously local what with riding around on a bike and, apparently, his name has been sprayed upon walls. What's going on?