One of the main concerns expressed by the police, at council meetings and this one, was the lack of people coming forward as witnesses.I challenged Commander Dizaei on this point at a previous meeting, (the fun one, where they demonstrated the taser), saying that the reason people do not come forward is that they observe two things. One, those that do report incidents are often ignored and/or no action taken, two, when action is taken, through no fault of the police the magistrates will inevitably turn the crims loose on the street again, knowing full well who “dobbed them in”. That is not a prospect most people find encouraging, and fear keeps most people quiet.This is a situation I have found in my own immediate vicinity. I am the only one prepared to ring the police and complain, neighbours and clients see no action taken most of the time, and when it is, after the trial the ticked off crim comes back to live alongside us.While I believe absolutely, that all the others affected should be coming forward, it is easy to understand why they don’t.
Nigel Moore ● 7247d