BRITAIN IS NOT NEW YORK

Police officer Terrence Houlahan moved to Britain from New York but repeatedly clashed with his new bosses because they failed to discipline or send back to prison criminals who breached the terms of their community sentences or parole. He was sacked after an official report into his behaviour found 'he appears to see public protection as the key task in his role and could not identify with the idea of rehabilitation of offenders'.

In one case, Mr Houlahan was staggered when a man of 23 who breached the terms of his licence by threatening his parents was given an 'anger diary' instead of being put behind bars. Weeks later the thug assaulted his mother and father and beat up a police officer. He was sentenced to four months in prison. Mr Houlahan claims he was unfairly dismissed after complaints of insubordination, inappropriate behaviour towards colleagues and unauthorised absence. He was also found to have breached health and safety rules by failing to take a full hour off for his lunch break.

Mr Houlahan said, "I wanted to bring the skills I learnt as an NYPD cop to the probation service. Seeing the results of crime on the ground, I thought it was my duty to help protect the public but the probation service were more interested in the so-called rights of the offender and hellbent on keeping him out of jail than actually looking at the facts." Mr Houlahan is a former sergeant in the US special forces and served with the New York Police Department from 1998 to 2000. He agrees that the reform of offenders is important, but believes public protection must come first.

In another incident, he was suspended for three weeks for 'violating the confidentiality' of a criminal he had removed from a group workshop because he was racially insulting participants. Mr Houlahan claims he was told by managers that the offender had only insulted others 'when he was angry'. An Essex probation service spokesman said, "Mr Houlahan was dismissed after a thorough disciplinary investigation, and a subsequent appeal, which was unanimously dismissed. The probation service has as its absolute primary aim the prevention of further crime." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Jun/06)

COMMENTS
Mr Houlahan has the audacity to put the law abiding citizens rights and protection ahead of the criminals, does he think he is still in NY? This is Britain and here the criminals rights comes first, did no one tell him that when he took the job? Walter

Unfortunately the people that are doing the right things are squashed by the pathetic morons in the Home Office that let criminals out to kill, rape or steal again and again. They take their lead from the Government and rather than stand up against idiotic Ministers policies or do a Sir Humphrey, they look at their pensions and blindly follow whatever this weeks lunatic idea is. Mike

Sadly, this example is typical of the loony left, PC obsessed 21st century Britain, where criminals and their lawyers rule, with the hard-working, tax-paying majority footing the bill and paying the price of rampant crime. Albert