Daily Post
Here Kelly Barker, Daily Post wrote:
North Wales News - North Wales Police Chief Constable Mark Polin to end 'Traffic Taliban'
Apr 1 2010 by Kelly Barker, Daily Post
Mark Polin, new North Wales Police Chief Constable - photo ...
SPEEDING drivers could be cautioned instead of being slapped with fines under a new strategy to focus more on front line policing.
Top cop Mark Polin said he wants to steer North Wales Police away from a target-driven culture by giving officers more discretion when it comes to minor crimes and driving offences.
Unlike his predecessor Richard Brunstrom, who was dubbed the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban, the new Chief Constable’s vision takes the spotlight off motorists and the amount of paperwork that diverts police away from other duties. He said the force is “renowned for taking a hard line” when it comes to speed enforcement, but his new three-year strategy aims to look at the wider issues affecting the region.
At a meeting of the North Wales Police Authority yesterday, he said: “We are no longer counting the number of fixed penalty notices for speeding, we are introducing discretionary measures and issuing more cautions because officers are expected to do more in local communities.”
Mr Polin said the force has “too many community beat managers (CBMs) and not enough front line officers”, who are struggling to respond to incidents.
He added: “We need to look at what is taking up officers’ time and make sure they are clear on their roles and responsibilities.”
The three-year action plan comes amid tough financial times which has led the force to “turn the tap off on recruitment” indefinitely.
Despite having less money, its main priorities are tackling the scourge of child abuse and building confidence in the police.
A major survey commissioned by the Police Authority to find out the views of the people of North Wales also called for a reduction in crime and antisocial behaviour, and highlighted a need for a well-led, organised and skilled workforce.
Mr Polin said: “We will strive to build trust and confidence in North Wales Police so that people feel safer.
“As well as concentrating on the protection of children and young people and other vulnerable groups, we will be collaborating with other police services and agencies, such as the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the UK Borders Agency, to tackle serious and organised crime, terrorism and extremism.
“We anticipate a difficult financial climate in the coming years so we will concentrate on achieving value for money by improving the way we do things, doing our very best to maintain key services.”
That sounds encouraging at least - time will tell I guess.
Sad that so much anger and resentment has been built, and how much public persecution has been carried out by the Force that should have been protecting and serving. I hope they have some big budgets to re-train many of the officers into the better way of thinking and understanding their authority.
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). However, yesterday I got a letter inviting me to do a National Speed Awareness Course rather than have points/fine. The letter referred to my lapse as a "minor infringement". I can do the course in my home town for £60... So perhaps this is a sign of change...
