The Long Tail of the Law

SallyB2
By SallyB2 Last edited 182 months ago
The Long Tail of the Law

0901.dog.jpg Critter crime. Seems to be on the increase. Squirrels for example. We all know that they are prolific thieves, but turns out that they are closet fire-starters, wicked fire starters, as well. The squirrels’ brush with arson was discovered when fire broke out at a cottage in Goudhurst near Cranbury in Kent. The furry felons had apparently chewed through cables behind a cupboard. Lord Mayhew, owner of the property, is hoping that the century old building can be restored.

Could this be a job for the Met’s proposed crack canine unit? Have the police, in an effort to reduce accusations of disproportionate representation amongst their ranks, taken to recruiting officers of different species? Er, no. The Dangerous Dog Unit is being set up to help monitor and control the use of dangerous dogs in crime. Which as we have previously reported is very much on the increase. Suspicious behaviour of the four-legged, waggily-tailed kind has gone up by 800% if we are to go by the numbers of dog seizures there were last year. And the police are fighting back against criticism of their paw performance. Acting Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Allen does however stress that the unit’s objectives pertain only to criminal activity, and did not demonstrate institutionalised species-ism:

Our thinking here is not about the breed - it is about the deed.

Quite. Woof.

Captain Canine from exfordy’s flickr stream under the Creative Commons Licence for Commercial Use.

Last Updated 09 January 2009