�6 million for Police informants

[Gromit]

The Police have paid more than �6 million to informants, many of them criminals and even terrorists, for information to help catch 'bigger fish'.

UK police forces paid more than �6m in the past financial year to people with information on criminal activity, the BBC live has discovered.

The Met Police spent most at �1.86m, followed by Greater Manchester Police at �329,497 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland at �299,000.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said the system was "vital in bringing offenders to justice".

The figures emerged for the first time after a Freedom of Information request.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8173638.stm

Can that be justified?

[LazyGun]

You can find justification for pretty much anything Gromit, if one tries hard enough :)

In this instance, you have to take a pragmatic view I suppose.
1.Do you trust the police forces enough to accept that their assessment of the value of the intelligence received?
2.Has that intelligence gathered from these informers saved the public from either serious harm and/or crimes with a material value greater than the �6 million the police have spent?
3. Do you accept the premise that an individual, "petty" criminal can remain unpunished and also remunerated by the police, providing they are adjudged to be providing intelligence of sufficient worth?
4. Do you trust the police enough to make that judgement outlined in 3?
5. Given that 10% of the Mets detective force, when issued credit cards, promptly went out and abused them, spending on fishing gear or cosmetic surgery for their partners, Are we confident that all these informers claimed for by detectives actually exist?

[jake-the-peg]

What exactly is the difference between offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of someone - often offered by family and news papers.

And cash paid to informants?

Only that you're making the assumption that many of the recipients are criminals or terrorists.

Yes there are concerns about the accountability of the practice as pointed out above but if it works it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Compare and contrast with payments to barristers to prosecute those arrested

It would be good to see a breakdown though of how many of the payments resulted in a conviction

[anotheoldgit]

The Police have paid more than �6 million to informants,

�6 million???? Chicken Feed.

the UK pays millions every year to the International Organisation for Migration, which is running the scheme. Last year the Home Office gave it almost �20million.

Can that be justified?

No more than than this can be justified.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-120262 9/Britain-paying-illegal-migrants-Calais-1-700 -return-home.html

[LazyGun]

Welcome to AOG world yet again - A thread about police informants is hijacked and turned into AOGs favourite topic - immigrants.

What has Immigration got to do with Police Informants?

[Gromit]

AOG

Can't you answer any question without turning it into a race issue?

[R1Geezer]

Yes fully justified, in fact it's a bargain I'd have thought it would be much more than that. Plod should use whatever means to penetrate criminal low lives and bunging grasses is all part of that!

[anotheoldgit]

Here we go again racist AOG

That's all some on this site can say.

Grow up stop trying to stifle facts by dishing out insults.

If you where just a little intelligent enough to look into the reason I posted that link, you would realise that it had nothing to due with the illegals I was merely pointing out a similar waste of taxpayers money.

Or perhaps I am reading Gromit's post all wrong, perhaps it is not the waste of taxpayer's money he is really concerned about, but the fact that this money may help to apprehend his friends much faster, and is therefore acting against their 'Human rights'?

[youngmafbog]

Its nothing new and as aog points out it is p*ssing in the ocean.

Looks like tabloid sensationalism to me

[Gromit]

AOG

You seem to be imply that my friends are criminals.

As you do not know me or my friends, that just looks like the ravings of a confused and rather desperate man. I would ask for an apology, but I know you do not know the meaning of the word.

If you do not have anything to say about police informants, why bother to post? There are plenty of threads to debate immagration, you post several daily.

[anotheoldgit]

LazyGun

Welcome to AOG world yet again - A thread about police informants is hijacked and turned into AOGs favourite topic - immigrants.

Which was in turn hijacked by you and turned into an anti-police post. Have you something against them, is your Gun not Lazy at all?

I refer you to my post addressed to Gromit.

Gromit's post was asking, can the cost of �6 million be justified? To which I answered can the cost of �20million also be justified?

Take that chip off your shoulder and don't look into everything as racist.

[Sweep2k]

Feel free to hijack this thread, AOG, and divert it to:

The 2012 Olympics
The IT system for the NHS
Jonathan Ross
Afghanistan
MP's expenses
The royal family
Spin
The EU
Quantative easing.

After all, they're basically one and the same debate.

[Gromit]

AOG

Not for the first time, you have missed the point.

What other posters understood was I was asking about the morality or otherwise of rewarding criminals and terrorists with taxpayers money. I am not bothered about the money and it is only chicken feed.

[leggionaire]

I think its a great use of money.

Id also like to ask if aog can suggest an alternative idea for the same cost which would achieve the same results / levels of arrest ?

That is if he can think of one?

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

You are a fine one to accuse me of making assumptions, you have made them against me on numerous occasions. the following is just but one.

There are plenty of threads to debate immagration, you post several daily. err! immagration????

I do not post several daily............

But I am man enough to apologise, if in fact your friends are not criminals.

The problem with you Gromit is because of your left-wing, liberal ways, you always seem to stick up for this type of person, so you should not be surprised if some do make certain assumptions.

If you do not have anything to say about police informants, why bother to post?

Once again, how many more times? Your post was not just about police informants, it also asked whether the spending of �6 million to them was justified.

To which I replied, was the greater amount of �20million spent on illegal migrants also justified? A perfectly reasonable debatable point.

You and others should practice what you preach, on numerous occasions my posts have been hijacked with matters irrelevant to that which is under discussion.

[anotheoldgit]

Sweep2k

Don't talk so damn silly.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

I am not bothered about the money and it is only chicken feed.

�6 million to informants,

The Met Police spent most at �1.86m,

followed by Greater Manchester Police at �329,497

and the Police Service of Northern Ireland at �299,000

Not bothered about the money?

Seems like you have an obsession with it.

[Gromit]

I repeat ,

The question is about whether criminals and terrorists should be rewarded by the taxpayer.

The amount of money does not matter, it is a moral question not a financial one.

[anotheoldgit]

I was asking about the morality or otherwise of rewarding criminals and terrorists with taxpayers money.

Then so was I.

May I be allowed to make a similar assumption?

There must be some criminals and terrorists amongst that lot in Calais, the difference being we are giving each of them �1,700 of taxpayer's money.

[Gromit]

AOG

I have brought to everyones attention a topical news story. In case people have not seen it, I have reproduced the news item. The bit that is in italic is the news report, other peoples words and I have included a link to where those words have come from.

My question comes at the end. I want you to say whether it can be justified. Not the size of the expenditure, but the paying of criminals and terrorists from taxpayers money.

[R1Geezer]

If I can just step between you two with an interesting thought, ok we spent �6m but the people that recieved it would almodst certainly have spent it on fags and b00ze, both of which are nearly all tax, woohoo, we get most of our money back!