Are these people serious?

Gary Saunders, a company director, was using a hands-free phone when he burst out laughing at a joke told by his brother-in-law, who he was talking to.

A few moments later he noticed a traffic officer flashing his lights at him and gesticulating at him to stop his Renault.

When Mr Saunders got out of his car, the policeman told him: “Laughing while driving a car can be an offence.”

The officer spent half an hour questioning his suspect before reluctantly allowing him to carry on his way.

However, he took another hour-and-a-half of Mr Saunders’ time by ordering him to produce his licence and other documents at a police station.

One of those “I really can’t believe it” stories. Laughing, an offence?

It’s also the sort of thing that would be solved by having elected police chiefs. Making the police forces directly responsible to those they police would get rid of this jobsworth officiousness.

There’s two ways of reading this story

Half of the public do not know what to expect from their police force, a Government survey said.

Research found many people are in the dark about how their neighbourhood is made secure and what service they should receive if they become a victim of crime. Just 47% of people know about the services provided by their police force, officials discovered.

There’s the way that the government report is looking at it. The populace are simply too dim and ill informed to know what lovely things the police can do for you. Enforcing diversity, reaching out into the community, bweing sensitive in these difficult times, you know the sorts of things.

Then we can read it according to reality. The public know very well what they want from a police force. Catching thieves, banging up robbers, generally clearing the streets of the unlawful and thus protecting those going about their lawful business. That’s what is wanted: the confusion comes from the knowledge that that’s not what they’re going to get.

“Half of the public do not know what to expect from their police force”….for  given that they’re not off chasing criminals, what are they damn well doing?