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Crime falls in Lambeth due to decriminalisation

  
 
Lurid Archive
14:11 / 30.05.02
From the article here,

Street crime in the London borough of Lambeth, where people caught in possession of cannabis are not arrested or charged, has fallen dramatically, according to new figures.
The number of robberies in Lambeth has fallen by almost 50% in the six months up to and including April, Scotland Yard said.

Detective superintendent Jim Webster, crime manager for Lambeth police, said: "There are some 450 less people per month becoming victims of street robbery now as compared to six months ago.

"There is a massive saving of resources achieved by this reduction in crime. We can now use this "peace dividend" to focus on longer-term approaches to bringing down crime.
 
 
gozer the destructor
11:03 / 31.05.02
The whole Paddick thing has become very quiet recently, this doesn't seem to have raised any intrest in the local media, let alone the nationals, wonder if it will influence the upcoming investigation result?
 
 
Naked Flame
11:35 / 31.05.02
Almost certainly not, IMHO. At the end of the day, however good Paddick was/is at the job, he's not the only person making this happen...

As far as Paddick's hearing etc. I'd expect it's quiet because the parties involved will be playing their cards close to their chests until the investigation is over or nearly over.

Bit of a result though! Wonder how the connection works... they only saved about 2 policemen's worth of time, which means either the street crime reduction is causally connected to, er, everyone being stoned, or the two officers that were liberated from their paperwork are the Lambeth nick's answer to Batman and Robin... or it was just a statistically freakish crime wave in the first place.
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
14:42 / 31.05.02
Yes, but is this really that 'crime' has fallen, or is it that something which a couple of months ago was classified as crime but is not any longer has gone?
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
12:18 / 01.06.02
Try reading the first post in the thread, eh Lada?

The number of robberies in Lambeth has fallen by almost 50% in the six months up to and including April, Scotland Yard said.
 
 
invisible_al
13:04 / 01.06.02
One idea that people haven't mentioned is that this is the result of all the other stuff Brian Paddick was doing with community policing at the time. This is the reason people in Lambeth were so pissed off when he was replaced, he was actually quite competant and doing good things in the borough.
The cannbis thing is a sideshow compared to having a decent policeman who listens to the people he's policing.
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
14:08 / 01.06.02
(threadrot) No! Reading all the posts is boring! I don't have time! I'm busy!
 
 
w1rebaby
21:47 / 02.06.02
One idea that people haven't mentioned is that this is the result of all the other stuff Brian Paddick was doing with community policing at the time. This is the reason people in Lambeth were so pissed off when he was replaced, he was actually quite competant and doing good things in the borough.
The cannbis thing is a sideshow compared to having a decent policeman who listens to the people he's policing.

Quite. The general consensus (amongst Lambeth residents that I know, inc my folks) was that he was a sane and reasonable copper, who wasn't just interested in maintaining the old status quo and ignoring the public. The dope issue was just one expression of that.

The contrast between him and the old guard was noticeable.
 
  
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