Was All This Worth The £12.6 Million?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3269461/Police-officers-stopped-guarding-Wikileaks-founder-Julian-Assange.html

[retrocop]

No. Not one penny .Money better used for our own homeland security IMO.

[andy-hughes]

I think that quantifying justice in monetary terms is a seriously dodgy path to follow.

There is no record advised by the police of the cost of this surveillance, I find it hard to believe that the costs are that high, and would be interested to know how that figure has been arrived at.

That said, I don't believe you can start saying that one area of justice is worth less than another in monetary terms - that is not a valid way to make such a judgement.

[Gromit]

Not sure what the purpose of the siege was.
Not sure why we were stopping him leaving the country, we should have let him go and saved £12.6million.

My guess is that we stopped him fleeing to please the Americans.

[fiction-factory]

I assumed we have an agreement with Sweden who wanted to extradite him and that they would do the same sort of thing for us

[Svejk]

They could have given jobseekers a photo and a mobile phone to do it, couldn't they?

[Zacs-Master]

As always with these figures, it will be the gross cost which is reported. If you take off the net figures of the police who would have been on duty anyway, the figure would be far less. But lets not stop the press outraging people who can't see past the headlines.

[mikey4444]

Well, perhaps as the Met have now decided not continue, it was a waste time and money ?

We have been stuck up the Americans ass, yet again, for the last 3 years !

[anotheoldgit]

/// But lets not stop the press outraging people who can't see past the headlines. ///

The actual figures provided by the Met for those of us who cannot see past the headlines.

/// The Met provided a breakdown of the round-the-clock policing costs, which it estimated to be £12.6m - £7.1m in normal pay, £3.4m in overtime and £2.1m indirect
costs. ///

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34508500

[Zacs-Master]

Thanks for confirming my point AOG.

[ichkeria]

What puzzles me about this is that now someone has decided that if this individual leaves the embassy he will be forfeiting his asylum.
Has that not always been the case?
He'll still be watched though and I look forward to hearing that he's been caught trying to sneak out!

It's hard to say whether it's been "worth it" or not, given that it doesn't appear to have achieved anything. At the time though, one can only imagine the fuss had he walked out. And I suppose it just sort of dragged on from there.

[Svejk]

I think Zacs is suggesting they would have been paid anyway, possibly for sitting around elsewhere.
I'll remember that when next the EDL need police protection from the UAF thugs. ;)

[agchristie]

No it was not worth it. Maybe the force got a little too expectant because didn't Assange hold a press conference last Summer stating he might soon be able to come out? Of course, that was never on the cards.

The time he's been holed up he could have tunneled his way out or practised contortionism to squeeze into a diplomatic bag!

[Peter Pedant]

12 1/2 million to spend your days munching sarnies and staring at a building

Nice work if you can get it !

[Peter Pedant]

// I think Zacs is suggesting they would have been paid anyway, possibly for sitting around elsewhere. //

ah the accountants have a phrase for it - opportunity costs

the money could have been spent on the same people but actually getting them to DO something

patrol -drugs - killing people etc

[jno]

it's got Assange into the next Asterix book

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/14/new-comic-in-asterix-series-to-feature-julian-assange-character

[joggerjayne]

Was this the Julian Assange whose website exposed the dubious international dealings of some dodgy, but very powerful people ...

And then found himself on the receiving end of some undoubtedly trumped up charges, just so that the same powerful people could get their nasty paws on him ...

And we have ended up footing the bill to play a part in this ridiculous, corrupt farce?

That Julian Assange?

[jno]

no, that's his brother Hubert.