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'Robocop' policing attacked

02/09/2008

Britain's policing system needs radical reform to overturn recent shifts towards "Robocop justice", a thinktank has said.

Reform blames Tony Blair and other modern politicians for the shift, as the politicisation of law and order has led to a "mechanical" system which lacks human interaction.

Today's report says local autonomy has paid the price for the centralised control of national politicians. It wants a "radical devolution of power" through greater local responsibility for funding, the creation of justice commissioners and an "information revolution" which would involve publicly accessible offender databases.

"The failings of Robocop have been recognised by the political parties who have all attempted to spell out a localist agenda," the report concludes.

"In practice though this approach is one of the 'colouring book', with national politicians dictating parameters and targets for local action with only a small amount of autonomy allowed.

"Radical decentralisation has been consistently blocked by politicians and police keen to maintain their national power base. A new way forward is required to transform Britons from passive bystanders to active citizens."

According to Reform Britain now spends the greatest proportion of its GDP on law and order of all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

Its research suggests Britons are the least likely in Europe to intervene when a crime is taking place and that most view antisocial behaviour as a matter for the police.

Other countries view parents, teachers and the community as being responsible, a philosophy backed by Reform's deputy director Elizabeth Truss.

"We need to slay the myth that the home secretary is responsible for every stabbing and car theft on the streets of Britain," she said.

"We have to take back responsibility from Robocop."