POLICE STATE

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The government has drawn up secret 'Big Brother' plans to hand the details of routine journeys taken by millions of innocent motorists to the police. Officers will be able to trawl private information recorded by traffic cameras when investigating even the most minor crimes, according to papers made public. Once the controversial national road-pricing scheme is under way, short journeys to the shops, work or to visit friends will all be logged. Anybody whose vehicle was merely following a car linked to a crime could come under suspicion and be asked to account for their movements.

Under the road-pricing plans, motorists will have their journeys tracked by the automatic number plate recognition cameras, which read and record vehicle movements, and be charged based on how far they travel. By giving police 'bulk access' to this data, forces will be able to effectively track the movements of all motorists who pass the cameras, of which 1,500 already exist in the capital. A further 50 are operated by the DVLA at sites across the country. The Government papers reveal the tactics which could be used to solve crimes, using the number-plate information.

They include 'convoy analysis', where drivers spotted following a known criminal come under police suspicion. The movement of pedestrians is already tracked by 4.2million CCTV cameras, the largest number in the world. Now car journeys will be similarly monitored. Police are to be given live access to London's congestion charge cameras, allowing them to track all vehicles entering and leaving the zone. But the Home Office plans to dramatically widen the powers beyond anti-terror operations, and nationwide. (Source: Mail on Sunday, Jul/07)

When a girl of 12 swore at her in the street, Joanne Wilson did what she believed any right-minded mother should do. She ticked off the youngster and went straight to her parents to warn them of their child's naughty behaviour. But a few weeks later, Mrs Wilson received a letter ordering her to attend a nearby police station for questioning. When she told officers the date was not convenient, because it clashed with her daughter's swimming competition, Mrs Wilson claimed officers warned her she risked being arrested in the early hours of the morning and her children taken into care if she failed to cooperate.

Mrs Wilson attended Grey Mare Lane police station, Beswick, Greater Manchester, where she was arrested and thrown in a cell for almost five hours. She had police mugshots, her fingerprints and DNA swabs taken. Officers told Mrs Wilson that the girl claimed she had been dragged to the ground during a confrontation and they were investigating an allegation of common assault. Mrs Wilson, who could have faced a maximum sentence of six months in jail if convicted, protested her innocence and three months later the allegations were finally dropped.

She has made a formal complaint to Greater Manchester Police, who she accused of being heavy-handed. A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said they had a duty to investigate the allegation of assault and that the case had been dropped on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service. He added there were no grounds for an investigation into the youngster for wasting police time because the allegation of assault was never retracted.

What do we expect in today's Britain, where children have rights but no responsibilty, law-abiding taxpayers have responsibilities but no rights and criminals are called 'sir'. If you need a reason why kids are leaving school without the basic 3R's skills, the parents of the girl who was swearing are a good example. Thick, Ignorant and Stupid. British 'justice' at it's best, woman gets police record for telling off child, paedophiles, muggers, robbers and murderers go free. (Source: Mail on Sunday, Aug/06)