It has been a while since I have awarded my prestigious and internationally famous "Prats of The Week" Award, as such I am making another award today but in a special "Uber Prat" category "C**TS of The Week".Well deserving of this award are those in Newark and Sherwood District Council who seek to prosecute children who play football in the street in Newark.
The Gestapo in the local council have sent letters warning that children face prosecution, and fines of up to £100, if they annoy neighbours with ball games.
The purge against street football (surely street football is far less harmful than street drug dealing, street mugging or street loitering?) is being led by Lynn Pallett the Orwellian named anti-social behaviour co-ordinator.
Whilst I can see that residents who have complained about flowerbeds being trampled by children retrieving balls have reason to be peeved, is it really the right way to go about this to threaten children with prosecution?
Do we really hate children so much in this country that we can't let them act like children once in a while?
Surely it is better that the kids play football than deal drugs, drink or loiter with menaces?
Pauline Heath 73, a mother of ten grown-up children, has a rather sensible view:
"I have 20-odd grandchildren and as long as they don't cause a nuisance, there is no problem with letting them play in the street.
Children should be allowed to be children. I've had lads kick the ball in my front garden. I just go out and tell them that if it happens again I'm happy for them to retrieve it, as long as they close my gate afterwards. I've never had any problems."
Miss Pallett said that under section 161 of the Highways Act 1980, if a person plays football or any other game on a highway, to the annoyance of a user of the highway, he or she is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of up to £100.
The police are ready and waiting. A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said the force plans to warn offenders in the first instance.
Quote:
"If they failed to move on or persisted to cause a problem, we would then consider arrests."
Are they as proactive about arresting drug dealers and others who cause problems on the streets?
Newark and Sherwood District Council well deserving C**TS of The Week.
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It seems crazy to me that children playing football in the street is an ARRESTABLE offence as stated in Ken's editorial.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "over kill" comes to mind but, as children are now untouchable and must not be told "no" for fear of being accused of assault or something, should the kids or their parents complain, adults are clearly afraid of them and so calling in the law seems to be the only answer.
The whole country has gone crazy but, I suspect Nanny smells the opportunity to issue fines and get her till ringing again and of course, some more data for her DNA and other databases.....Kerching!!
In the old days there was space to play football in the streets. Now I doubt that it would be advisable or even possible in many locations.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is that kids are none too aware of their impacts.
When I was a mid teenager I remember one seemingly decent summer when the lad next door and I played cricket in an open area across the road from our houses. (This was on a forces base back when space was still deemed important between properties and open spaces - not huge but in today's world would probably attract a small housing estate - were always included.
The edge of the area had a stout wooden fence that was most acceptable as a wicket substitute/ball stop.
We started out using a tennis ball but, as the days passed, tried a proper cricket ball. At first the fence withstood our work quite well, but eventually several of the overlapped sections succumbed.
Remembering this recently, for the first time in years, it struck me that we had unintentionally caused vandalism, though the word was not in common use back then as far as I recall, on a quite large scale.
Nobody said anything.
I suspect Tonk's observation about DNA capture is close to the mark.
Grant
Yet Nanny goes on and on about obese kids, couch potatoes etc., yet wants to stop them from getting any exercise, having fun, being kids.
ReplyDeleteGetting in the DNA base for playing football in the street. Very terrifying.
Debbie in the US
Tonk, The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 made ALL offences, no matter how trivial, arrestable, thus triggering powers to obtain DNA, other other intimate samples, fingerprints and photographs of those arrested, to be retained forever, regardless of whether they're charged with or convicted of an offence.
ReplyDeleteThis was another law sneaked in and not many appreciated the full implications of it at the time. It means you can be dragged into a police station and treated as a CRIMINAL for anything, littering, a waste bin offence, a motoring offence, etc., etc.
New Labour and their buddies in ACPO continue to seek to introduce draconian laws to convenience the state and the police at the expense of the ordinary people. Their appalling track record in legislating away our way of life may be found here:
http://www.magnacartaplus.org/civil-liberties/attacks.htm
New Labour's assault on our rights and freedoms has been relentless, all in the name of tackling crime, which as we all know has been very successful hasn't it?
Dixon of Dock Green:
ReplyDeleteThat is truly frightening.
I never expected to see my country become so oppressive and Stalinist like in my life time.
I bet those great British men and women that gave their lives during two world wars to protect us from such oppressive regimes are turning in their graves...Thier families must be asking whether their sacrifices were really worth it.
Thanks a bloody bunch Labour and your friends in Brussels. You have achieved Hitlers dream for him; A giant socialist European super state, the EUSSR.
Depends on what exactly they are doing. I stay with someone who has the local neighborhood treasures 'playing football in the street'. Broken windows, dented or scratched cars, threats and abuse, dog crap posted through the letterbox, noise, trampled garden plants when they barge in to retrieve their ball... They are not all saints. These little c***s know their 'rights'. They make the lives of those who live there a misery even though there are at least 3 fields within 500 yards. Filth won't do a thing about the abuse though.
ReplyDeleteLike I say, everyone is different. I loathe this government and what they have done to the country. Just wanted to present another view...