New Scotland Yard? No 'new Costa Shop'

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9733896/Met-wants-public-to-report-crimes-at-counters-in-mosques-and-coffee-shops.html

You just could not make it up, but I will try.

Your local coffee shop.

"I wish to report a robbery" - "now sit down grab yourself a cappuccino, and let's talk about it".

Your local Mosque.

"I've come to report a suspicious package", - "first take off your shoes, drag up a mat, and keep your voice down"

[jno]

I think the idea is that a counter would be manned (or personned) by a cop, not by an imam or barista. It still sounds like a mistake. Who wants to go to Starbucks to report that they've been assaulted?

[AB Editor]

I see what they're trying to do...

... But I'm not sure this is how to do it!

[jno]

you don't want to do that, triggs, last time I tried the thing was full of Daleks.

[anotheoldgit]

triggerhippy

Public telephone boxes get enough attention from today's vandals, can you image what would happen to a Public Police Box?

[naomi24]

I see what they're trying to do too - but I can't see how it can be cost effective. If the intention is to collect reports of minor crimes it's not a bad idea to have more counters, but for victims of major crime, or for those in considerable distress, it wouldn't work.

[ludwig]

I think it's a good idea. I've just reported a massive corporate tax avoidance scam in Starbucks. They told me to go away as apparently it's not illegal.

[vulcan]

What happens when these coffee shops close? do you leave a lost child in a mosque? Our police seem to have caught the governments disease, opening one's mouth before engaging brain.

[Ric.ror]

I actually think it would not be a bad idea if these 'desks' are in addition to not instead of the old police stations - got a feeling thats not what is meant though

[shoota]

The big flaw I see with this is that as soon as you put a Police presence somewhere people will go there as a point of first contact if anything happens nearby - consequently PC/Community PO will get dragged in to dealing with shoplifters, RTA's outside the door, etc. They will spend all their time asking for mobile units to come and assist them or be away from their post.
Unless they double man them, which in some areas will be necessary for safety reasons anyway, and I can't see that happening in this current manpower crisis.
I think the answer is a Police 'shop' with a staff of three during 'shopping' hours rather than one person at a table in a coffee shop as I saw proposed the other day.

[naomi24]

//What happens when these coffee shops close? //

Police station?

[Mamyalynne]

Vulcan if you do find a lost child , the last thing you should do is take them away from that point. You phone or get someone passing to phone the Police.

[youngmafbog]

Plod in the coffee shop; should be good for trade. Soon be loads more empty shops, but at least we wont have a problem with corporation tax avoidance!

As for Old bill with a counter in Finsbury Park Mosque .....

[Baldric]

Be handy if you're arrested and need a Barista!

[vulcan]

I was trying to make the point, apologies for using bad examples , that we need proper, manned police stations not policemen sitting at a desk in a coffee shop. The article states the police are already considering closing 65 front counters and replacing them with more than two hundred desks. I don't see how that saves money which is their intention.I just think this has been badly thought out, or not thought out, as the case may be.

[jno]

they could probably find a corner in a Poundshop, there are plenty of those.

(240 coppers to the Pound?)

[FredPuli43]

Thought the existing ones were cop shops. In Liverpool (where else) there was a station right in the middle of town, near all the big shops, that was not called 'police station' No, the sign over it read 'Cop Shop'. It had gone this year; maybe it was moved to a real shop.

[anotheoldgit]

jno

(240 coppers to the Pound?)

Bit behind the times, isn't it now 100?

[AB Editor]

Morning. Just bumped into this again. Quite relevant :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6CkltzGAxY

[Mick-Talbot]

naomi
but for victims of major crime, or for those in considerable distress, it wouldn't work.


Surely those people would would ring 999?

Our police station has just closed down, maybe they should stick a copper in a corner of the local library instead of closing that too.