Baiting of police officers highlights Britain’s law and order problem

Britain needs to face up to the fact that it has a major crime problem. The Police Federation’s comments that young people were “baiting police officers” with dangerous driving is indicative of a wider collapse in law and order.

The country has clearly taken a wrong turn. Criminals have been emboldened by a lack of consequences or presence of authority on the streets.

The bobby on the beat is no longer, retail workers are having to wear body cameras and high streets have become unwelcoming places for ordinary law-abiding citizens.

Austerity led to large cuts in the number of police officers and that legacy is now coming home to roost in unpleasant ways.

Some of those involved in the A66 crash that led to the deaths of two police officers at the weekend have been linked to videos of dangerous driving posted on social media platforms.

People posting videos of themselves driving dangerously is another example of a lack of care for the law. That stems from a lack of consequences across the justice system.

The courts are unable to cope with the number of cases, prisons don’t have the capacity to keep criminals off the street and there are not enough police officers to enable communities to feel safe.

Technology should be used to aid law enforcement agencies to tackle crime but it cannot be seen as a substitute for actual police officers on the streets, whether in patrol cars or walking the beat.

At the very least, there should be a drive to equip Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) with the requisite skills to help on the frontline.