British policing - smothered by political correctness?

Police should be 'on the beat' but they are held back by paperwork relating to 'PC nonsense' – claims provocative MEP and British police commissioner candidate

Tumbling budgets and rising crime present a very difficult task for the incoming police and crime commissioners in the United Kingdom. Political correctness spewed by big government for the last 20 years has left the police overburdened with paperwork and the unhealthy promotional consequences of politicising the police. The first task is to prioritise budgets and police time. Bear in mind the establishment of the British police by Sir Robert Peel was, more than anything else, a crime prevention service.

Crime prevention then as now is a matter of police profile. They must be on the beat, known to those who live in the neighbourhoods they patrol. The beat-cop is the backbone of the service. Yet where are they? Senior officers claim they cannot do this and they are probably right, up to a point. However, if some of the PC nonsense could be removed - police time could be freed up.

There is no shortage of examples but let us look first at the absurdity of so-called 'hate crime'. Imagine if you will, you are of Indian descent and a thug leaps out at you - hurling racial abuse and hitting you with an iron bar; a 'hate crime'. Imagine your brother is hit over the head in another part of town at exactly the same time, only the object was theft of his wallet. Under what natural law would or should either one have priority? Under what fundamental principle of English law could there be a difference? Many police officers have already told me that if it is a hate crime, it forms a separate statistic and ipso facto carries a resource priority.

This is immoral. By the very nature of the system, the majority are disadvantaged. A double absurdity is an enhanced prison tariff on conviction. Moreover, it is a breach of my commissioners' oath which I publish here in full: "I, Godfrey Bloom do solemnly and sincerely promise that I will serve all the people of Humberside in the office of police and crime commissioner without fear or favour. I will act with integrity and diligence in my role and, to the best of my ability, will execute the duties of my office to ensure that the police are able to cut crime and protect the public. I will give a voice to the public, especially victims of crime and work with other services to ensure the safety of the community and effective criminal justice. I will take all steps within my power to ensure transparency of my decisions, so that I may be properly held to account by the public."

I will not seek to influence or prevent any lawful and reasonable investigation or arrest, nor encourage any police action save that which is lawful and justified within the bounds of this office. I will not breach my oath and neither will police officers, who are bound by the same code - nor should the Home Office or Justice Department press me to do so.

Godfrey Bloom is the United Kingdom Independence Party MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, and a candidate to become a British police commissioner in the November elections