From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN, SAYS Pc
221009 APR 00
By Brian Farmer, PA News
What happened in the case of farmer Tony Martin - jailed for life for killing
one burglar and wounding another at his remote farmhouse - could happen a
again, a policeman warned today.
The officer, a long-serving Constable with Norfolk Police, said he understood
the frustration felt by Tony Martin.
He warned that "what happened at Emneth Hungate could happen again".
The officer, who asked to remain anonymous, issued the warning when he called
his local newspaper to express his "demoralisation" about the way parts of
Norfolk were policed.
"The public deserves better," he told the Eastern Daily Press.
"I can't condone what Tony Martin did but I understand the frustration he
must have felt.
"What happened at Emneth Hungate could happen anywhere and we wouldn't be
there to prevent it."
The Constable, who said he had been with the force for 30 years and worked on
a beat in south Norfolk, added: "When I started, the job of a Police
Constable was to protect life and property, to maintain law and order, to
prevent and detect crime and to prosecute attacks against the peace.
"These days, it's a constant struggle to live up to that definition."
A recent force "shake up" had left himself and three colleagues covering 25
parishes.
"They're talking about extending response times in rural areas from 15
minutes to 20 minutes, but if they made the minimum 30 minutes it would still
be impossible for us," he told the newspaper.
"How can four officers cover such a vast area properly? How can we be
expected to prevent crime? Many of the parishes within my sector will never
see a police officer."
The Martin case had highlighted the problem and prompted him to voice his
views, he said.
He had voiced his concerns to senior officers and to the Police Federation
but to no avail.
Lack of manpower was part of the underlying problem, he said adding that it
was clear that the force needed more money to fund recruitment.
But better management was also needed to get officers away from desks and on
to the beat, he said.
Earlier this week, Norfolk Chief Constable Ken Williams said officers were
"desperately trying to provide a professional service".
"They ... know that they are deficient in numbers and that their cars and IT
should be better," he said.
"At times like this they feel it very personally. The hue and cry and claims
of police impotence are not their fault. They are very effective given the
resources they have."
He added: "No matter how many times you look at your organisation to respond
to change, there comes a time when you have cut your cloth as far as you can
cut it.
"The Government is planning to give us 66 more officers within three years,
maybe two.
"Of course, there is only so much in the national pot and if it's distributed
in a way that Merseyside, the West Midlands, London or Manchester miss out
then the pressure on our political leaders will be incredible ... Let's not
forget we have a county where crime is low."
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Only in Norfolk could we have a Chief Constable called Kenneth Williams.
Trouble is I'm not laughing. Why is it that the police have never got enough
money or enough powers and, as far as I can see, never will have.
Kenneth Pantling
Whatever happens they have got
The Maxim Gun, and we have not.
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