Alas, the police go private.

[StriderX]

I've been wondering how long this would take to happen for a while now, even if the instruments are no different to what civilians can do, it still fills me with dread at the continued walk to dystopia.

Britain's first private police force to go nationwide after success in London's wealthiest neighbourhoods

How long until they get expanded powers?

This is a golden goose for any home secretary able to abuse this instrument, it means all the desirable elements (to a politician) of a police force without all that pesky liability that usually gets them fired.

 

[Hotwired]

I've been wondering how long this would take to happen for a while now, even if the instruments are no different to what civilians can do, it still fills me with dread at the continued walk to dystopia.

Britain's first private police force to go nationwide after success in London's wealthiest neighbourhoods

How long until they get expanded powers?

This is a golden goose for any home secretary able to abuse this instrument, it means all the desirable elements (to a politician) of a police force without all that pesky liability that usually gets them fired.

What do you mean "get expanded powers"

They have no powers and are private investigators branding themselves with the image of police.

Private investigators are nothing new.

 

[=XDC=FluphyBunny]

But they aren’t a police force. £200 a month lol

 

[Maccy]

Strong photoshop skills on that white van.

 

[StriderX]

What do you mean "get expanded powers"

They have no powers and are private investigators branding themselves with the image of police.

Private investigators are nothing new.

I know, but if it's in a major publication, something is surely different?

Though maybe its just slow news, le sigh.

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

Since when did Dixon of Dock Green get involved in IP theft?

 

[Kaeo]

Clickbait garbage.

 

[Superficial]

They can call themselves and market themselves as they like (Though i'm surprised they've been allowed to use the image of the real police in their logo) but the fact is that they are no different to the "neighbourhood patrols" setup by local councils around London when it comes to street policing. As in Tower Hamlets.

They are just a reactive service that have civilian powers. No detention powers save for citizens arrests which we all have.

Still just goes to show that, if their results are to be believed, that a few more real police would make a real difference...as if we didn't know.

 

[TheVoice]

They're a glorified private investigation/security service, nothing more. If the wealthy want to pay £200 a month for someone in a traffic warden's uniform to meet them at the tube station and walk them home so be it, but they'll be running in the other direction at the first sign of trouble.

 

[mmj_uk]

How long before they get caught funding or conspiring with criminals in order to drum up business? it sounds like the making of a glorified protection racket - "pay us and we'll put you on a non target list".

I bet it's not long before they start targeting people based on political motivations either, "hey that image you posted online in 2006 breaches copyright laws".

 

[EyeDot]

They're a glorified private investigation/security service, nothing more. If the wealthy want to pay £200 a month for someone in a traffic warden's uniform to meet them at the tube station and walk them home so be it, but they'll be running in the other direction at the first sign of trouble.

Doubt that to be honest, I suspect all of these will be ex-Job on considerably more pay than they were before, with one guiding principle.. Make the client feel protected, safe and powerful.

Look in to the Pinkertons for more of an idea of what's come before!

 

[EyeDot]

Headed by Tony Nash, the Metropolitan Police's former commander in the London borough of Newham and former detective chief inspector David McKelvey, MLB has said 20 of its "bobbies", all trained former police officers, will take to the streets from next month, covering an estimated 250 households.

The company, staffed by retired detectives and cyber-crime experts from Scotland Yard, the National Crime Agency and GCHQ, is now expanding its services beyond predominantly financial investigations.

So it's owned and run by those who'll know exactly what and how to make it's clients feel like they're getting value.

 

[Werewolf]

Doesn't this pop up every few years, some people (often including a few ex "job") decide they'll make a private security service for an area and describe themselves as private police or similar to try and make themselves stand out from rentathug and onemandandhisdog plc security?

When in reality they're offering nothing new, have no more powers than the security guard at Tesco, probably less effective as they're not operating on private property so can't even ask you to leave the area with any power behind them (unlike Store security in a supermarket who are often operating on privately owned land including around the actual store building so can ask you to leave the entire area owned/leased by the store or company that leases the land for the retail estate)

 

[dowie]

lol I think the OP has taken the headlines a bit to literally, this is a private security company, they've existed for a while.

AFAIK it is actually possible to arrange for funding of additional police officers too (I'm sure I read about one neighbourhood in London doing so)

 

[CREATIVE!11]

Matter of time before we get corporate police forces / armies.

Think about it.... google earns more than a small country at this point. What is stopping them?

 

[dowie]

Matter of time before we get corporate police forces / armies.

Think about it.... google earns more than a small country at this point. What is stopping them?

matter of time? Already happened...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company

By 1803, at the height of its rule in India, the British East India company had a private army of about 260,000—twice the size of the British Army

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandline_International

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academi

etc..

 

[FlyingScotsman]

Bob a Job coppers

 

[Energize]

I've been wondering how long this would take to happen for a while now, even if the instruments are no different to what civilians can do, it still fills me with dread at the continued walk to dystopia.

Britain's first private police force to go nationwide after success in London's wealthiest neighbourhoods

How long until they get expanded powers?

This is a golden goose for any home secretary able to abuse this instrument, it means all the desirable elements (to a politician) of a police force without all that pesky liability that usually gets them fired.

You say that like the government aren't abusing the police force and judiciary anyway, people prosecuted for rap lyrics and drug users beat by police, they're as much a force for evil as good.

 

[Jamauk]

Strong photoshop skills on that white van.

A generic van with a logo just dumped on it, badly. They couldn't even find a van with GB plates.

 

[Malevolence]

My Little Bobby.