Police push for 'instant justice'
Aug 15 2006 06:00
From BBC News
Quote:
Police are considering asking ministers for more powers to impose "instant justice" for anti-social activities.The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) may push for more powers to penalise people without a court appearance.
Quote:
"It is therefore time to debate whether constables should be given substantial additional, discretionary, summary powers to meet these challenges... such powers would effectively bring existing criminal justice system powers to the street."
So is this Deleuze's shift from Foucault's 'disciplinary society' (where discipline was confined
to institutions - the school, the prison etc) to the 'society of control', where discipline is generalised directly without mediation?
Or do the cops just ask for judge dredd powers every year and i haven't been paying attention?
Aug 15 2006 08:21
#2
revol68 wrote:
when the government was talking about instant Fines, where a cop would escort you to a cash point, didn't the peelers federation say it was unworkable?
In Brighton at least there's £80 on the spot fines for drunk & disorderly ... but then sussex police do have a creative approach to implementing legislation, recently declaring that legal squatting "will not be tolerated in our city" and carrying out a load of illegal evictions, as well as spending upwards of £30,000 harassing peaceniks, making 30+ arrests and securing only 5 convictions (for obstucting the highway). 3 or 4 cases collapsed when the judge ordered the police disclose their correspondance with an arms company 
Aug 15 2006 09:01
#3
This is a case of the cops asking for blanket powers to do stuff that previously they've had to do on an area-by-area basis. For instance, the police have had special powers to disperse groups of "two or more" (i.e. any group at all) in Lewisham since (IIRC) May this year.
As well as the obvious "civil liberties" angle, this is also to do with the creation & consolidation of a national police force with uniform (ho ho) powers across the country.
Aug 15 2006 10:11
#4
So that's the defence for the Focualtalists.
Aug 15 2006 21:38
#5
Justice Scratch Cards. That's what we need. The cops hand you a card, and you scratch away the panel to see what kind of sentence, if any, you get.
But you need to be over 16.
Fuck me that's mental, and a bit strange, afterall when the government was talking about instant Fines, where a cop would escort you to a cash point, didn't the peelers federation say it was unworkable?