A step in the wrong direction

We could go about our daily business as free people knowing that big brother was not watching our every move.

Now every citizen is tracked and photographed on every step of their journey and the pictures stored for recall later if required.

There are even cameras checking the speed at which we drive and recording the number plates of every car that pass a certain point on the road.

Back in the 1970's if a policeman wanted to get in touch with the station they had to find a public telephone box to make a call. Now radios give them a direct link wherever they are.

Hasn't the new technology done us a good turn and improved our civil liberties?

Surely by now crime has been eradicated and its merely a memory in the minds of the elder members of the community?

No matter how many crime combating measures are taken we can be sure that crime will keep rearing its ugly head and what's more the fear of crime will only increase.

After all haven't all the aforementioned crime prevention technologies been installed on the back of the fear of crime?

This evening I read a news article on this very site entitled “Police to tell yobs: You're banned from these streets”. From what I read this new policy is a very worrying development.

Is banning people from certain streets the right thing to do? Firstly the yobbos will merely go somewhere else and secondly it isn't going to alter their behaviour is it?

Of all the places to implement the new scheme I was shocked to learn the place of choice is to be the violent ghettos of darkest Marlow!

If this scheme is the way forward then surely it would have been better to try it out where there are real problems such as in Desborough Road, Castlefield or Micklefield?

This new scheme seems to be no more than tough talk to tackle crime in a soft place.

There will be some who will sleep safer in their beds after learning of this latest idea but I am not convinced. Moving yobbos on does not solve the underlying problem.

Rather than over the top ideas that defer crime to another area it would be better to teach the youngsters of today decency, respect and community values while they are at school to nip the whole criminal mentality in the bud and stop the next generation growing up as criminals.

If things carry on in this vein then it won't be long before yobbos who have set foot in the wrong street have a price put on their head and “wanted” posters appear like in the days of the wild west.

Maybe that would be a good idea?

After all yours truly could become a bounty hunter and earn some desperately needed money identifying people who walked down the wrong road.

I like the thought of me as a bounty hunter, maybe they could make a film about me and call it “The Good, The Bad and The Bigun”?

What do you think?

*Don't forget to read my regular column in this Friday's edition of the printed version of the Bucks Free Press!

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