I don't like seeing police with machineguns anywhere. But if you've got to have someone guarding the stations at all, I'd rather it was someone with a professional code of ethics and a tradition of public service.
PS are police civil servants? I did not know that.
Yeah, I don't think there's an easy answer. I wonder if they are banned from going into the polling station (I hope so).
PS are police civil servants? I did not know that.
From the bastion of wisdom dictionary.com
civil servant n. A person employed in the civil service.
civil service n. 1. Those branches of public service that are not legislative, judicial, or military and in which employment is usually based on competitive examination. 2. The entire body of persons employed by the civil branches of a government.
So I guess so? Anyway, I mean that it is bad for the executive to oversee elections of the government.
Another thing that occurs to me - what possible good can the police do against vote rigging by standing outside the polling booth? Do they think someone is going to steal a ballot box or something?
"Officers are keeping watch at polling stations in both areas in an effort to prevent foul play and intimidation."
Hmm... that's starting to sound really dubious. It's not just the intimidation - it's the impression that local government is doing a good job because there are lots of police around.
The (increased) presence of police in Birmingham at least is on request of the leader of the council:
"Birmingham city council leader Mike Whitby asked for police officers to be deployed in wards considered at greatest risk from fraud and intimidation."
The more I read about this the more dodgy it sounds. Hmm...
How are police at the polling stations going to ensure the election was "free, fair and clear of any illegal or corrupt practices", if they're not looking at the right evidence?
I guess what they're most obviously worried about is gangs of people hanging around outside the polling stations claiming if you don't vote BNP, we'll kneecap ya! (or equivalent). So next time, they'll just threaten people as they come out of the local Co-op, the day before.
That's fair enough - there have been party officials standing outside polling stations telling people how they ought to vote in the past. Though why a machinegun should be required to prevent this I don't know.
PS are police civil servants? I did not know that.
Reply
PS are police civil servants? I did not know that.
From the bastion of wisdom dictionary.com
civil servant
n.
A person employed in the civil service.
civil service
n.
1. Those branches of public service that are not legislative, judicial, or military and in which employment is usually based on competitive examination.
2. The entire body of persons employed by the civil branches of a government.
So I guess so? Anyway, I mean that it is bad for the executive to oversee elections of the government.
Reply
Reply
From this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4971590.stm
"Officers are keeping watch at polling stations in both areas in an effort to prevent foul play and intimidation."
Hmm... that's starting to sound really dubious. It's not just the intimidation - it's the impression that local government is doing a good job because there are lots of police around.
The (increased) presence of police in Birmingham at least is on request of the leader of the council:
"Birmingham city council leader Mike Whitby asked for police officers to be deployed in wards considered at greatest risk from fraud and intimidation."
The more I read about this the more dodgy it sounds. Hmm...
Reply
How are police at the polling stations going to ensure the election was "free, fair and clear of any illegal or corrupt practices", if they're not looking at the right evidence?
I guess what they're most obviously worried about is gangs of people hanging around outside the polling stations claiming if you don't vote BNP, we'll kneecap ya! (or equivalent). So next time, they'll just threaten people as they come out of the local Co-op, the day before.
Reply
That's fair enough - there have been party officials standing outside polling stations telling people how they ought to vote in the past. Though why a machinegun should be required to prevent this I don't know.
Reply
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