Heavy-handed in Ealing

M@
By M@ Last edited 199 months ago
Heavy-handed in Ealing
scotchcommon.jpg

Actually Scotch is not so common in Ealing at the moment. It seems that picnickers in Walpole Park, W5, had a bit of a shock last week when they had their Pimms/lager and lime/whatever confiscated by pernickety Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's). We know not whether the jobsworths in question were thirsty, just plain bored, or the ultimate in over-zealous – complaints have been made, and the ensuing investigation will surely reveal all.

Now Londonist is all in favour of having more Bobbies of any sort on the beat (as long as they have a sense of humour). We are sure that the Rt. Hon. Ms. Blears knows her stuff when she says:

“Community Support Officers are valuable members of the police family and provide excellent support to local communities. They have been well received by the public and been effective in tackling low-level crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour as well as helping to restore respect in local communities.”

Londonist’s raised eyebrow on this occasion is that it seems that Ealing is winning the race in enforcement across the board. They are getting a reputation on the streets: Ealing’s hard, not to be messed with. Our moles in the food industry based in those parts report experiencing a frisson of pure terror when Trading Standards or Environmental Health are spotted, whilst our buddies in the distribution business have accrued more PCNs in Ealing than most other boroughs put together. It’s good to be strict – we are a naughty public, and should be locked in our rooms occasionally until we apologise. But come on, chaps…loosen up a little will you? Take a leaf out of your denizens’ notebook – the people of Ealing are apparently the most lovey-dovey in the UK. Spread a little around guys…especially amongst those PCSOs.

By SallyB

Photo taken from Mykal Shaw’s flickr stream under a Creative Commons Licence.

Last Updated 10 August 2007