Anonymous Gifts To Police
Posted: Tue 04 Feb 2014 8:10 am
“AN off-road vehicle has been donated to East Herts police by a resident who wished to remain anonymous....”
"This off road vehicle, generously paid for by a local businessman..."
http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/N ... 162447.htm
There is something about this affair that makes me deeply uneasy.
I am uncomfortable with police accepting expensive donations that must influence the policing priorities of the district.
Unless the expensive machine is to stand idle, then police officers, whose time and training is not covered by the donation, must be redeployed from other duties to use it.
A more concerning issue is the refusal to reveal the identity of the donor.
Without knowing the identity how can the public judge whether the gift was intended to influence police activities to the particular benefit of the donor. Note that the gift was not of a sniffer dog, or a patrol car or rape interview suite. The machine can only be used to chase down poachers or farm machinery thieves. Has a wealthy landowner bought himself a private security team on the cheap?
Alternatively, how can we tell if the donor is not a director of G4S or SERCO. Both companies are courting the PCC to secure lucrative outsourcing contracts.
How possibly can we expect police to operate without fear or favour if we allow them to accept anonymous gifts?
"This off road vehicle, generously paid for by a local businessman..."
http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/N ... 162447.htm
There is something about this affair that makes me deeply uneasy.
I am uncomfortable with police accepting expensive donations that must influence the policing priorities of the district.
Unless the expensive machine is to stand idle, then police officers, whose time and training is not covered by the donation, must be redeployed from other duties to use it.
A more concerning issue is the refusal to reveal the identity of the donor.
Without knowing the identity how can the public judge whether the gift was intended to influence police activities to the particular benefit of the donor. Note that the gift was not of a sniffer dog, or a patrol car or rape interview suite. The machine can only be used to chase down poachers or farm machinery thieves. Has a wealthy landowner bought himself a private security team on the cheap?
Alternatively, how can we tell if the donor is not a director of G4S or SERCO. Both companies are courting the PCC to secure lucrative outsourcing contracts.
How possibly can we expect police to operate without fear or favour if we allow them to accept anonymous gifts?