In Glasgow we have folks by the grand name of Community Enforcement Officers. Primarily in the City Centre, one of their roles is to fine litter droppers.
Now I detest litter so in principal I don't mind the idea of this.
However, walking along Buchanan st today I noticed two of them standing about 5 yards from a bin. One of them, the woman, was as wide as she was short, couldn't have been any more stereotypical of the wee enforcer.
After I had been to bank I passed again and they were taking the details down of a young lad who was stating to them that as he walked past the bin, he threw his crisp wrapper in it. The wind caught and he missed so he turned round to pick it up and they swooped. He was saying to them you know you saw me stop and turn and come back!! But they weren't having any of it!!
It made me think- what powers do these folks actually have? If you don't stop for them have they the power to "arrest" you or detain you? Can't imagine the police would be happy to get called because of dropped litter but no doubt there will be some sort of "behind the scenes" agreement?
What if you just gave them a false name and address?
This doesn't seem to give the answer!
www.saferglasgow.com/what-we-do/enforcement-services/community-enforcement-officers.aspx
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Buchanan St is one long pedestrianised hill isn't it? He could simply have rolled her down it and foxtrot oscared in the uphill direction !
:-)
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The offender can choose to do a litter pick, they are held on the last Saturday of each month. That will wipe out his FPN.
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Only has time to do a quick Google but results suggest that, unlike in England and Wales CPSO and similar in Scotland have no statutory police type powers. They are however authorised by the council to issue the FPN.
If you turn abusive they will no doubt call the Police. No power of arrest but as they're Council officers it's probably an offence to give them a false address.
Laddie in question has choice to refuse payment of the fixed penalty and see if the Council prosecute. If he's a plausible witness and doesn't fall into one of those wonderful scots dialect terms for a waster, scroat etc they'll probably not proceed.
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I didn't know the Scots where bothered about litter.Long time ago I was in Glasgow rough city.
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Behaviour of the CSOs as described is so petty and infuriating that the boy would have been justified in making a citizen's arrest of both of them and handing them over to the real fuzz for a clip round the ear.
I can't remember ever being given any gyp by one of these, although they weren't around when I was still young enough to look like their prey. The ones in the Grove always seemed very cheery and agreeable.
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>> Behaviour of the CSOs as described is so petty and infuriating that the boy would
>> have been justified in making a citizen's arrest of both of them and handing them
>> over to the real fuzz for a clip round the ear.
Do you ever read any of the rubbish that you write?
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>> Do you ever read any of the rubbish that you write?
Well it gave me a quick giggle. You're taking AC too seriously (IMHO)
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He's probably never heard of a citizen's arrest.
Come to think of it I haven't seen one mentioned for years. Perhaps the quasi-legal can of worms that would follow one - accusations of false imprisonment, assault etc. - put people off trying. It's a sad world these days.
:o}
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AC has artistic licence. Or should have...
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I was fined for dropping a fag end in Edinburgh a couple of years back, during the Fringe. No sensible excuse, although they clearly hadn't been doing their job very well that day!!
I went straight round the corner and paid. £60 or £80 I think. I was a bit pee'd off over it but I'd done the crime and all that...
Now I look for a bin, usually successful but not always.
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Cigarette ends only count as litter to a modern ocd twerp.
I mean, birds and animals are pretty messy. Surely something should be done about them too?
In places (like Australia) where people have extreme attitudes to this sort of thing, a drain grating seems to be the best place to bung a dogend. Unless you actually want to set a litter bin on fire.
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>> >> Behaviour of the CSOs as described is so petty and infuriating that the boy
>> would
>> >> have been justified in making a citizen's arrest of both of them and handing
>> them
>> >> over to the real fuzz for a clip round the ear.
>>
>> Do you ever read any of the rubbish that you write?
>>
Hope that's Tongue in Cheek?
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If I had been thereI don't think I could have resisted walking over and offering my name and address to the lad as a witness for the defence.
In fact I can feel my annoyance at the police attitude rising as I write. I think I'd have made a point of noting their numbers just for good measure.
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The Litter "Police" powers - Runfer D'Hills
