28/07/2013
Autonomous Mind weighs into the debate with
a piece about the
selectivity of the police in defining the crimes they investigate.
In the corporate worlds of modern police forces, it is no longer Parliament which decides what is and what is not a crime. Rather, chief constables and their minions decide between them what is a "priority" crime category â i.e., that which they are prepared to investigates.
One finds that, if the crime is not on the priority list, as defined, then it will be ignored. And the lesson for the criminal fraternity â which includes a large number of local government officers â is that as long as you confine yourselves to "non-priority" crime, you are
above the law.
What is also beginning to emerge is the sinister effect of legal aid cuts. Where most people accused of a criminal offence used to have their legal fees paid by the state, that list is now shrinking to vanishing point.
Malicious police, aware of this, can lay spurious or exaggerated charges, in the certain knowledge that they are forcing their victims to gamble thousands of pounds on a skewed court system, in order to prove their innocence.
Small wonder, many take the easy way out and plead guilty in order to reduce their risk of being on the wrong end of court fees, far in excess of any potential fine or other penalty.
In terms of weight of penalties imposed, it seems that the greatest crime of all is to seek to defend yourself against accusations from the state. Win or lose, your defence will invariably cost more that the fine imposed if you lose - and then your penalty is increased because you had the temerity to attempt a defence.
Even to partake in the "justice" process requires of the individual the completion of a highly intrusive "means" form, failure to complete which is not only a criminal offence but legitimises the system to impose the maximum scale of financial penalties and costs.
You can actually see why
Booker is complaining about the court system, but his complaints are only the half of it. The system across the board is unfit for purpose and terminally corrupt.
What these people do not seem to realise is that an efficient and fair justice system is the safety valve of society. Screwing down the valve can only ever lead to trouble, yet they seem unaware of what they are doing. In the nature of things, it is only a matter of time before they find out.
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