Whilst I'm not in favour of drinking to oblivion

I should like to see the costings behind the £300 per night to keep someone in a police cell.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...er-up-in-drunk-tank-and-pay-400-to-leave.html

Also worrying to me is that it is back to a subjective decision by an officer.

BTW this is not being critical of the police who in my opinion have a very difficult job clearing up after boozy nights out.

Opinions ?

 

It obviously doesn't cost anywhere near that just to put someone in a cell and keep them there over night. But how much does it cost to police the area around pubs in town and city centres because some people are intent on getting out of their heads? Don't get me wrong, I like to go out and have a drink and I like to get merry, but I've never had to be approached by a policeman in the 25 years I've been frequenting pubs. You could argue that we pay our taxes in order for the police to provide this service, but wouldn't we all prefer for them to spend their time catching proper criminals, rapists, murderers and thieves, rather having to waste their time looking after folk who drink too much? If it is a deterrent to people becoming a complete nuisance, then I'm all for it. I don't know that it will be, but it could go some way to pay for our police force having to be someone's mum.

 

Getting very worried about this country and the attitude the police are taking.

First they get the fixed penalty on speeding. Not much to argue - it's a specific reading on a machine - you can't argue with that I guess.

Then the creeping errosion of the separation of powers. Very very worrying - especially combined with the sheep mentality always displayed on here of "if you're doing nowt wrong you've nothing to worry about".

Now a copper - at his discretion and judgement can put points on your license becuase he "says" you were travelling too close to a car in front - no evidence - no measurement - no video - just his opinion. And if he's that way out he can at the same time give the guy in front a ticket for middle lane hogging!

They want also to be able to put you in a cell and charge you £300 because you had the audicity to look at them funny. Or perhaps tell them in Barnsley that they shouldn't be using their police cars as taxi's to run their mates home after a night out, etc etc.

Again the level of evidence required to put you in the slammer for a night and charge you £300 for the privelage. NONE.

Very very worrying - but not half as worrying as the compliance of the populace and the lack of anyone reasonable speaking out against it.

 

I wonder what will happen when someone dies in one of these holding tanks. Who will be responsible?

 

Drunk Tank

.<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CrFt5yh-_6k?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Loony lefty.

I agree.

 

There are arguments both for and against this discussion but for me the over-riding points are that our stretched emergency services and A & E departments should not have to be dealing with drunks. If somebody chooses to get so drunk that they are a nuisance or a risk to themselves or others then they deserve to end up in a drunk tank and the fine that comes with it.

 

All police cars are fitted with video recording equipment so the 'alleged offence' would be recorded and could be watched by somebody else as part of an appeal you could ask for. Middle lane drivers and tailgaters are a menace and deserve to be fined. If they can't drive with care and courtesy then they really shouldn't be on the road.

That is not how it would work. People would not go to drunk tanks unless there were specific criteria met but people will try to reduce the argument to its lowest common denominator. No system is perfect but something has to be done to help the police and the emergency services from the ‘drunk out of your skull’ culture that seems prevalent in our towns and cities every weekend.

 

Most traffic cars are - but you try getting hold of it as a defendent! The evidence is destroyed - and the practice is so rife that the home office in May 2012 changed it's guidance that this evidence should be retained as the police simply weren't doing it.

I agree that middle lane drivers and tailgaters are a menace - but how many create the other - the solution is better education not punishment - especially by the type of person that drives a traffic car!

Specific criteria judged by who? arbitrated by who. Police police and police - is there going to be a magistrate on duty on Saturday night to hold mini hearings? I thought not. - so your alleged safeguards imeadeatly go up the swany. We already have drunk tanks - they're called police cells - If I'm that much of a problem charge me and send me in front of the beak. The law is already there.

However I agree with you again that something needs to be done. Just not this.

 

So there isn't an enforceable law to cover drunken behaviour now then? Odd post.

 

It's pretty embarrassing being British when you see some of drunken behaviour that goes on on a Saturday night.
If it goes anyway to changing that aspect of British culture then I don't really care if it is up to a subjective decision by an officer. It certainly won't be affecting me.
If it goes anyway to alleviating the pressure on the NHS then I also have no objections.

 

In terms of the cost to society of anti-social behaviour and health costs, what about the income from the duty charged on booze,it sounds to be double charging to fund general expenditure cuts. A bit like tax payers paying for policing then football clubs are charged for match day policing so the football fan pays twice over as a tax payer and part of the entrance few going to pay the police.

 

Sorry but if I was so pissed up I needed a drunk tank I'd be asking why they just don't get me in a taxi home.

I manage it most times when I sup a gallon and half.

As for paying four hundred notes before I leave, I'd stop in for my breakfast and dinner first.

 

Thats how the system always worked though...until the advent of speed reading equipment,an officers opinion that you were speeding was enough for most magistrates to find you guilty ..as an old copper told me,the caution went something like 'you do not have to say anything,but anything you do say will be taken down..twisted round and used in evidence at your conviction'

 

Heard an interview this morning on Radio 4 asking an American chap you runs a drunk tank type establishment how it works over there. Its a community funded, safe, 'sleep it off' place staffed by ex alcoholics who work in liaison with the police. They also refer people to help organisations to try to deal with their problem, if they have any. (some are just drunk young uns who will grow out of it). When the suggestion that a private firm could run such a thing for profit, charging fines. He said it was an utterly ludicrous idea.

 

Not buying it really - if I have 15 pints of lager, the duty comes to what £40, 50 quid? Way less than the cost of policing, ambulance, employing nurses, plus the fact that they could be giving better treatment to others...

Sorry but I think that is a daft argument.

 

South Yorks Police were saying the other day about the millions it costs to police the EDL demo's in Sheffield. Bet a few on here would defend the right of the EDL to protest and for S.Yorks tax payers to pick up the bill. Just remember, every pint somone is drinking in the bar, nearly half the price of that is going in tax to the treasury.

 

Just out of interest the duty on 15 pints of average lager 4% ABV is about £6.25 plus of course the 20% VAT on whatever the retail price is.