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Nicked for throwing a cream bun: police dossier of dubious offences
Last updated at 11:22am on 15.05.07Police officers are being forced to make "ludicrous" arrests in an attempt to hit Home Office targets, it has been claimed.
Ridiculous examples include the case of a Cheshire man who was cautioned for being "found in possession of an egg with intent to throw".
In Kent, a child was arrested for throwing a slice of cucumber from a tuna sandwich at another youngster, while a was boy arrested for throwing a cream bun on a school bus.
Now the Police Federation, which represents rank-andfile officers, has called on the Government to reverse the target-chasing culture.
It says the pressure to meet performance indicators is compelling many officers to "criminalise" Middle England.
The issue will be debated at the organisation's Blackpool conference this week.
Officers will discuss whether judging them on how many arrests, cautions or onthespot fines they deliver is making a mockery of the criminal justice system.
A spokesman for the organisation, which represents 130,000 frontline staff in England and Wales, said the power to use discretion should be returned to the officers on the beat.
"We have got into the situation where everyone is so busy chasing targets and securing ticks in boxes we are on the verge of distancing ourselves from Middle England," he said.
"The cases we have compiled show incidents where an officer has been under such pressure to deliver it has resulted in an arrest or caution when even the officer themselves thinks it is ludicrous.
"Understandably, when the public hears about this they ask 'What the hell is going on?' It is a Government agenda that is going down this avenue.
"Officers are saying-they are forced to make arrests or cautions for this lunacy because the Government believes they should be judged by what can be counted."
Federation chairman Jan Berry said: "We have police officers who are considering leaving the service over this because it is not the job they signed up to do.
"These examples we have compiled are ludicrous but when people are being pushed to show results they will use anything they can to demonstrate they are doing a good job."
She added: "Just talking to people and giving them a few words of advice cannot be counted as easily as a ticket can be. But sometimes it is just as effective as taking someone to court."
Mrs Berry said she would raise the issue with Home Secretary John Reid when he attends the conference.
Two years ago police chiefs were accused of turning officers into "bounty hunters" by setting arrest quotas.
North Wales chief constable Richard Brunstrom wanted his traffic officers to arrest at least eight motorists a month or face an investigation.
Many officers are so disgruntled that they have set up Internet diaries or "blogs" to catalogue the mistakes caused by the targets culture.
One inspector serving in the North of England said: "Blogging is the only way many of us can make our views known about the state of policing in the UK, where officers are encouraged to meet targets via the most trivial of incidents."
And a blog from "Another Constable" noted: "My favourite type of arrest is a drink-driver. However, the statisticians would much rather I give out a £30 fixed penalty to a ten-year-old for drawing on a wall, or carving their initials into a tree."
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "This reinforces what we have been saying - that Whitehall interference and perverse targets are stopping the police from doing what the public want them to do.
"Conservatives would free the police from Labour's red tape so they can be deployed onto our streets - where the public want them. We would also make our police forces accountable to local communities so that their priorities reflect those of the people they serve."
Reader views (13)
One of my friends at Oxford university was given a caution for carrying an 'offensive weapon' (a badminton racket) in public and due to his criminal record is now finding it very hard to secure a graduate job. It's a complete joke
- Harry Wick, Oxford
What shocks me is that the number of arrests made for seemingly stupid almost invisible offences, whilst bigger crimes go uninvestigated.
So what will it be, arrest the man who beats his wife, keeps his neighbour awake all night and harasses then, murders an innocent victim, or arrest the man who breaks wind in an inappropriate place?
It's a joke, not a justice system.
- A , Hinckley, Leicestershire
Every socialist society is reinforced with a police state. You are reaping the rewards of yours. We're next.
- Roger Ffolkes, New Mexico USA
Quality over quantity! I don't care how many arrests the police make. What I care about is the proportion of reported offences successfully dealt with by the police.
- Suzanne, London
The Labour government needs these statistics. They do not want to catch dangerous criminals as the police officers might get hurt. That is why there is police but safely tucked away behind their comy office desks. I personally have not seen a real police officer in London for 3 months. I saw 2 "Community officers" last week but they were being followed by 2 hoodies and the "Officers" ran away! There is no real crime solving anymore in Britain, like they do abroad.
- Georgie, London
There is a serious side to this - we live in a growing Big Brother society and to all those who say 'if you haven't done anything wrong, you've got nothing to hide' - what do you say to this then?
They are criminalising everyone and taking our DNA in the process. Couple this with the story also out today, 'Spies in the sky could watch our every move'. It's all very sinister and we should speak out against further infringes on our privacy.
- Jo, London
If they want to increase there arrest rates come to our station car park, where the thieves are always on ptrol, or our local shops where gangs of hoodies terrorise oap's and younger children who don't go there now unless they have no othere choice, or maybe just get out of their cars and walk the beat.
These tables should not be done on arrests, but on the number of crimes reported and followed up.
- Brian, Swindon
Officers cannot be forced to make an arrest. The officers who make these stupid arrests either have no backbone to stand up to their superiors, or are more interested in pursuing a career at the expense of the general public. In either case they are not fit to wear the uniform.
- Law Abiding Citizen, UK
Being cynical, could this be the government's way of ensuring their dodgy DNA database continues to fill up at a useful rate? After all, every person that is arrested or 'invited to assist police with their enquiries' is swabbed and catalogued.
The usual suspects must be well catalogued by now. Onto the less likely by arresting for the trivial infringements.
- Moz, London
This endless obsession with statistics and league tables has now reached the point where it is doing more harm than good. They must absorb millions of our taxes and employ an army of jobworths. Let's have common sense back for goodness sake.
- Michael, London
Throwing a cream bun at a bus! The little horror, should be locked up certainly: could have given it to me.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
You start chasing pointless targets. This is what happens when your effectiveness is judged only by what can be numerically counted and measured.
This keeps the bean counters happy (and in a job).
- Sej, Reading, UK
The English have gone barking mad.
- Cuddly Duddly, Cuffley, UK
