Do the British Police have too much power?

Question

they now interfere in every facet of human behaviour,and all it takes to stir them in to action,is a word from a politician,or a negative report on anti-social behaviour from Sky News....what do you think

Answer 1

I seriously believe that the UK is sleep-walking into a police-state. New laws so far passed have been used to divide the community; gay marriage, thought crimes such as religious hatred. We nearly lost a 14 stone boy to the social services; it won't be long before our children start disappearing...

It's all about problem-reaction-solution; the government operatives invite a mass of illegal immigrants into a country, allow them to agitate the population and then the government stamp on them; unfortunately, they intentionally stamp on the rest of us too.

These new terror laws are not to control 'fundamentalist Muslims', it's against the whole population; why? Because they can and because they hate us. Just because you drive a £20,000 BMW and like in the outskirts of London, don't think you are safe; the government want to wipe out the middle-classes to re-create a middle-ages feudal system with surfs at the bottom of the pile and the aristocracy at the top with no middle class. Just look at the newly-retired pensioners who have been swindled out of their pensions; some of those who were promised 40k a year are only getting 6k!

Answer 2

The power is given to them by the Government so the question is not, do the police have too much power, but does the Government have too much power?

The police do have a hard enough job, now the government what to use them as Government agents, to stifle protest. And when the government want to hold people for 3 MONTHS without enough evidence to have them charged..let alone tried, the government fall over themselves to try to get that on the books. Just think..they fell that large section of the population might not vote for them..no problem just lock them up until the election is over!

What's it called when the police decide on laws? Oh yes... a police state.

Answer 3

I dont think the police have enough power. It seems that threats of misconduct, government laziness, under budgetting or whatever it is has left us with a diminished police force. Its no longer safe to walk the street. Gun crime is higher in the UK than it has been in years and anti social behaviour is becoming more and more common. The actions that are taken are cautionary measures (ie asbo's). These do nothing at all IMO

Answer 4

the only power the government want the police to exercise is against motorists, where there is revenue to be had by using the fixed penalty system, otherwise for criminals the government is oblivious to the plight of the public except if you should be unfortunate to hurt a criminal while defending yourself. At present the idea is divide the public from the police so that when a police state comes no-one will protest.

Answer 5

They need more power to arrest all the little sh*ts that get away with murder on a regular basis. The Police have a crappy job and should be supported in what they do and what they have to put up with from obnoxious scrotes - While they deal with the trash, ordinary folk can get on with their lives. If you have done nothing wrong - you have nothing to worry about - or is there something on your mind?

Chrissie - for your info - The woman the Officer was hitting had grabbed hold of his nuts - he was punching her arm by the elbow to try and make her release her grip - If she had grabbed me by the nuts I wouldn't have been so restrained....

Answer 6

You've got to be kidding! They have NO power at all. I live in Spain and what the Police get away with here would make your hair curl! I must admit that footage looked rather harsh but I'd like to see the full tape also

Answer 7

Yes, the police can now arrest anyone for anything, but that is a recent development.
Until recently a police offices power of arrest was defined by the Criminal Law Act 1968, which created an 'arrestable' offence.

'A person commits an arrestable offence if the offence he commits any offence, which upon conviction, carries a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment or more.'

Theft and Criminal Damage were two offences that qualified as arrestable offences.

Any person who knows that a person has committed an arrestable offence, may arrest them. A police officer who suspects someone guilty of commiting an arrestable may arrest them.

So if you and I saw a mugger in action we could arrest them, whereas a policeman only needed to suspect someone had committed an offence, to arrest them.

However, the maximum term of imprisonment for theft and criminal damage has been reduced, by the idiots who are supposed to protect us, to three years.

Summary offences, which used to require you to supply your name and address to a police officer in uniform have now been deemed as arrestable offences.

Unfortunately police powers are being used as a weapon of political intimidation, but what else can you expect from Brown and Blair who are dismantling our democracy and installing a police state?

Answer 8

You are loosing the plot. The police are paid by the people of this country to look after the people of this country.
The law is made by politicians - who in turn are voted for by the people. The police are enforcing the law of the land - as dictated by the people of the land.
If behaviour is anti-social, then of course the police should intervene.

Answer 9

Whatever power the police may or may not have is driven by public opinion which most Governments and their PR machines follow in order to make themselves look good for re-election.

Answer 10

The problem is, that it has been politicised by the left leaning PC brigade. So, it is being used to micro mange our lives with never ending EU diktats. They haven't the time to deal with real crime, because they are so busy with racism, sexism, smoking, and other PC nonsense.

The TV media also have too much influence, and routinely indoctrinate us.