Put bobbies on the beat – not crime data online

I DO not share our Home Secretary’s boundless enthusiasm to put street by street crime statistics on the internet (Yorkshire Post, February 2).

Of course, the police may be lurking around the corner to catch those criminals who dare to take advantage of the “easy picking” big crime streets which they can lift off the attached map; as added to the already unwelcome intrusion of Googlemap the bad lads are given a right of passage to our homes.

There could even be some who will take it as a challenge to have a go at the presently less bothered areas.

Further, great damage will probably be caused to the pockets of houseowners as, where not already so, insurers will jack up their rates or insert restrictive clauses at any excuse, or even make more properties uninsurable against crime; in addition the prices of property so stigmatised could be badly hit.

As with so many other aspects of real life, politicians appear to be incredibly naive and do not appear to think over the consequences of their actions on ordinary people.

To this present holder of office, I would say “get real”. Instead, increase the number of bobbies on the beat to grab the villains by the neck.

That will be fairly easy if they get rid of the back breaking paper producing administration lovers who have been allowed by the last government to fill every nook and cranny of the police and justice services.

However, these days, protesting banner wavers seem to carry more weight than truncheon bearers, so we may only continue to live in hope.