ON WEDNESDAY night, the Chief Constable of Essex, James McCardle-Baker will present his policing framework for the future, Operation Blueprint to the 49 councillors of Thurrock.
There are severe implications for the borough. For Essex Police Authority member, cllr Gerard Rice, he feels he knows where the blame lies for the consequences for Thurrock.
YT sat down with cllr Rice to discuss what he expects to hear from the chief and what can be done to combat the cuts.
I’m not sure what is more depressing here, the situation the Country faces with regard to local policing or the response from the Labour member above which on sober reflection, doesn’t really seem to me to be full of any particular level of integrity. As it happens, I don’t think that losing front desks really smacks of Conservative localism, although I’m aware that there is evidence that front desks are increasingly not used by the public as a whole to report crime. I really can’t stand seeing issues like this used as a political football or for political gain, as seems to be the case here. If it is true that every time we have a Tory government, we have riots, it is true that every time we have a Labour government, we overspend and a period of retrenchment or clawing back the spend has to happen. Neither really seem to cover themselves in glory. According to the above ‘record funding’ was given to the Police in recent years. But could we really afford for this to be maintained? Apparently it’s all the Tories fault. Far too complicated an issue for blame to be placed at one door – wish life was that simple!
I don’t think either the Tories or the Lib Dems for that matter had a clue that the state of finances was quite so bad as the office of budget responsibility was not independent of government under Labour nationally. Now they do, and they need to act. I certainly feel unhappy about ESOL, EMA and tuition fees, but these cuts are being made due to economic mismanagement from the previous government, with debt being serviced to the tune of £400 million per day I read. Thank god it isn’t my job to identify savings of this magnitude outlined in this report. This interview appears to be for political gain only. Thurrock is a marginal seat. I want to be impressed by Labour and am looking to be impressed by them. But all I see is blaming the Government for everything and failing to acknowledge any role in our current situation. Where are the productive solutions? Where is the routemap for getting public services in this country that really deliver? I don’t just want to vote against something, but for a real positive alternative. Looks like I’ll be waiting a long time for one of those!
How the hell has Cllr Rice got the audacity to sit there and say the blame must be put squarely on the Tory government for the cust to public service? if his own party had had the balls to reign in their spending whilst they were in power rather than robbing Peter to pay Paul all the time and causing near bankrupcy within the country then the cuts would not need to be so large.
Gordon Brown had inside knowledge about the banking crisis in Europe and the USA but did sweet fanny adams to stem the flow, instead he tried to spend his way out of borrowing like a complete muppet.
This interview just goes to show how far the current crop of labour councillors have burried their heads in the sand, it is time they woke up and smelt the coffee and put their hands up to their own shortcoming and shoulder some of the blame because at the moment they are nothing but bloody hypocrits who try and pass the buck at every avenue.
Once again blame the opposition, when are these parties going to stop the blame game and work together.
And was in not the labour party that over spent and got us into this trouble.
I consider this Cllr is accurate in what he is saying we can’t manage to have a twenty percent cut it’s a no brainer. Why does the government provide work for a government inspectorate? Because when they provide statistics and politicians simply dismiss their advice. The politicians learnt nothing with the recent riots when we didn’t have enough police officers on the front line? They aren’t listening to government inspectorate advice another waste of money why do they employ these people and spend thousands of pounds doing research to dismiss it. plus the young people have nothing so I believe young people do not see a positive future of their skills because public funding and education have been cut youth centers shut down boxing clubs no funding. When I was little we had plenty of youth clubs and activity centers. Each and every one of us has to look at what causes all these problems in our society today.
Thank you Cllr Rice for helping to raise awareness as to the effects these cuts will have on our police force. It is shocking that any cuts are being considered when we have riots on our streets. The Police should be increased, as the recent riots proved how hard they have to work to achieve law and order.
Cllr Rice does have a point, we didnt see riots when Labour were in Goverment.
To cut our Police force would only add to the problem, as people will take advantage. We all need to stick together and bring back “old school” rules and educate our children that its not acceptable to take what isnt yours or hurt another.