Why peaceful demonstrators should ignore threats of arrest.
Itsme | 18.11.2006 06:21 | London
The police often make empty threats and this is one very good reason why they might not want to carry them out. As reported in 'This is London'.
"Red tape means police spend 10 hours over every arrest,
The average time taken by police to process a single arrest is now an astonishing 10 hours and six minutes, it was revealed.
Officers are spending more than their standard eight hour shift filling out dozens of forms and waiting for lawyers to arrive.
The extraordinary figure emerged during a snapshot survey by Scotland Yard of a week of arrests at a typical police station.
Rank-and-file police leaders said the figure confirmed fears that officers were being increasingly entangled in a giant web of bureaucracy.
This is despite repeated pledges from ministers to cut red tape and cut back on the number of forms required for completion.
The Yard survey took place in January this year. Its results were revealed in a written answer to a question to the Metropolitan Police Service by Labour London Assembly member Joanne McCartney.
The 10 hours and six minutes represents the time spent between arriving at the police station and the suspect being bailed or released.
Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said that officers found the delays 'hugely frustrating'.
Mr Smyth put the delays down to numerous factors. They included waiting for lawyers and possibly interpreters to arrive, finding appropriate accommodation for interviews and, in the case of children, contacting parents or close relatives to enable them to sit in on questioning.
But one of the major problems remains the vast number of forms officers are required to fill out.
Previous studies have suggested that as many as 33 forms need to be completed to process a single mugging suspect.
Senior officers say that this approach ties up policemen and women and takes them off the streets for a day at a time.
Mr Smyth added: 'To make an arrest can take one, if not two, officers off the beat for their entire shift.
'This means that other troublemakers will not be arrested because the police are inside the station dealing with the arrest.
'There is also a growing number of people who are simply unfit to be interviewed. This can be because they are under the influence of drink or drugs. It is hugely frustrating and increasingly bureaucratic.'
An officer who arrests a suspect for a mugging or assault first writes all the details in his notebook.
Then, back at the station, he reports to the duty sergeant, who enters arrest details in the daily computer log.
Then the suspect must be questioned, with the officer detailing his interview plan before he or she transcribes the taped interview.
Any information from the officer's notebook must also be copied on to a more formal record.
Lengthy confidential information forms are also completed - detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence.
A further form, listing witnesses and their addresses, is needed; then there are bail forms, forms detailing previous convictions, compensation forms and documents for stolen and damaged property.
Any expert evidence needed - doctor's reports, DNA analysis, fingerprinting, drugs analysis - must also be requested.
Finally, there is a summary form attached to the crime file for the Crown Prosecution Service.
If the defendant was stopped and searched before the offence was discovered, this involves a further form, running to seven pages or more.
Nobody knows the true number of forms in circulation, as each force produces its own paperwork.
The Home Office claims it has made 7,700 forms across the 43 police forces obsolete over the past two years.
Arrest procedure
When an officer arrests a suspect for a street robbery, he or she must:
*Write all the details in his notebook.
*Report to the duty sergeant, who enters details of the arrest in the daily computer log.
*Write an interview plan for questioning
*Transcribe the interview
*Transcribe the notes from his notebook
*Fill out confidential information forms detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence.
*A further form, listing all the witnesses and their addresses, is needed
*Bail forms
*Previous conviction forms
*Documents detailing stolen or damaged property
*Request for doctors reports
*DNA analysis requests
*Fingerprints requests
*Drugs analysis requests
*Summary form for the Crown Prosecution Service
*Stop and search form (if applicable)"
The average time taken by police to process a single arrest is now an astonishing 10 hours and six minutes, it was revealed.
Officers are spending more than their standard eight hour shift filling out dozens of forms and waiting for lawyers to arrive.
The extraordinary figure emerged during a snapshot survey by Scotland Yard of a week of arrests at a typical police station.
Rank-and-file police leaders said the figure confirmed fears that officers were being increasingly entangled in a giant web of bureaucracy.
This is despite repeated pledges from ministers to cut red tape and cut back on the number of forms required for completion.
The Yard survey took place in January this year. Its results were revealed in a written answer to a question to the Metropolitan Police Service by Labour London Assembly member Joanne McCartney.
The 10 hours and six minutes represents the time spent between arriving at the police station and the suspect being bailed or released.
Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said that officers found the delays 'hugely frustrating'.
Mr Smyth put the delays down to numerous factors. They included waiting for lawyers and possibly interpreters to arrive, finding appropriate accommodation for interviews and, in the case of children, contacting parents or close relatives to enable them to sit in on questioning.
But one of the major problems remains the vast number of forms officers are required to fill out.
Previous studies have suggested that as many as 33 forms need to be completed to process a single mugging suspect.
Senior officers say that this approach ties up policemen and women and takes them off the streets for a day at a time.
Mr Smyth added: 'To make an arrest can take one, if not two, officers off the beat for their entire shift.
'This means that other troublemakers will not be arrested because the police are inside the station dealing with the arrest.
'There is also a growing number of people who are simply unfit to be interviewed. This can be because they are under the influence of drink or drugs. It is hugely frustrating and increasingly bureaucratic.'
An officer who arrests a suspect for a mugging or assault first writes all the details in his notebook.
Then, back at the station, he reports to the duty sergeant, who enters arrest details in the daily computer log.
Then the suspect must be questioned, with the officer detailing his interview plan before he or she transcribes the taped interview.
Any information from the officer's notebook must also be copied on to a more formal record.
Lengthy confidential information forms are also completed - detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence.
A further form, listing witnesses and their addresses, is needed; then there are bail forms, forms detailing previous convictions, compensation forms and documents for stolen and damaged property.
Any expert evidence needed - doctor's reports, DNA analysis, fingerprinting, drugs analysis - must also be requested.
Finally, there is a summary form attached to the crime file for the Crown Prosecution Service.
If the defendant was stopped and searched before the offence was discovered, this involves a further form, running to seven pages or more.
Nobody knows the true number of forms in circulation, as each force produces its own paperwork.
The Home Office claims it has made 7,700 forms across the 43 police forces obsolete over the past two years.
Arrest procedure
When an officer arrests a suspect for a street robbery, he or she must:
*Write all the details in his notebook.
*Report to the duty sergeant, who enters details of the arrest in the daily computer log.
*Write an interview plan for questioning
*Transcribe the interview
*Transcribe the notes from his notebook
*Fill out confidential information forms detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence.
*A further form, listing all the witnesses and their addresses, is needed
*Bail forms
*Previous conviction forms
*Documents detailing stolen or damaged property
*Request for doctors reports
*DNA analysis requests
*Fingerprints requests
*Drugs analysis requests
*Summary form for the Crown Prosecution Service
*Stop and search form (if applicable)"
Itsme