Children aged eight enlisted as council snoopers

[Andre II]

What a beautiful world....


"The youngsters are among almost 5,000 residents who in some cases are being offered £500 rewards if they provide evidence of minor infractions.

One in six councils contacted by the Telegraph said they had signed up teams of "environment volunteers" who are being encouraged to photograph or video neighbours guilty of dog fouling, littering or "bin crimes".

The "covert human intelligence sources", as some local authorities describe them, are also being asked to pass on the names of neighbours they believe to be responsible, or take down their number-plates.

Ealing Council in West London said: "There are hundreds of Junior Streetwatchers, aged 8-10 years old, who are trained to identify and report enviro-crime issues such as graffiti and fly-tipping."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2689996/Children-aged-eight-enlisted-as-council-snoopers.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Had to be the Mail or Telegraph, before I even opened this thread

The Mail did the story a few days ago: see this blog response to their lying headline for some good points: http://akelasdiary.blogspot.com/2008/08/when-headline-is-total-lie-just-quicky.html

The basic point is: if you see someone breaking the law, and ruining the environment in the process, should you shut up about it? Or tell someone who can stop it, like the council? It's not as if it's our right to pollute public spaces, after all.

[Fumesucker]

2. It depends on whether you wish to have every action you do under a microscope..

Personally I don't want every action of mine under a social microscope so I mind my own business.

Your mileage obviously may differ.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. But public land is your land too, partly

So don't you have a right to keep it unpolluted, by reporting the polluter?

[Fumesucker]

9. It really depends on the severity of the offense...

And to a lesser extent who it is doing the polluting.

Something truly egregious being done by someone who not only should know better but can afford not to do it, I'd probably report 'em.

Somebody flicks a cigarette butt out of the window, I'm not going to bother. (and I've never been a smoker).

Nobody is perfect and we all do things we really shouldn't.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. To live in London is to live

under a giant CCTV microscope as it is.

[Fumesucker]

10. I understand the cameras aren't making all that much headway against crime anyway?

Criminals aren't all stupid, the smart ones will figure out pretty fast how to get around all the cameras.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. What is flytipping..?

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Dumping your personal or commercial rubbish on someone else's, or public, land (nt)

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Thank you. The British certainly have a way with words..

[LeftishBrit]

6. Sounds like the Torygraph whipping up shock 'n horror!

People here, as everywhere, have always been supposed to report law-breaking to the police, and in some cases (not usually the more minor ones) rewards are offered. In practice, this is usually more honoured in the breach than the observance, and 'grasses' are not popular.

If it concerned a petty vandal, for example, deliberately scratching their car, I am sure that the Torygraph writers would be delighted to have someone tell the police, and if this (as typical) did not happen, would complain bitterly about how People Today don't Respect the Law the Way We Did in Our Young Day; We Should Bring Back the Birch! But because in this case it happens to be about environmental issues, and public rather than private property, it suddenly becomes a Threat to Our Liberties.

Bloody hypocrites!