Signs of the times for our police (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Signs of the times for our police

7:42am Friday 15th May 2009 in

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Behind a police car in the middle of Bradford the other day, I noticed a small message printed just above the boot door: “Look after your mobile phone”.

Is this a particular campaign which West Yorkshire Police are running at the moment, to get people to make sure their mobiles are well cared for?

Or perhaps it’s one of a series of messages the cops are putting on the back of their cars to just make life a little better for the general populace.

If that’s the case, then I like it, and it shows the caring, sharing, cuddly side of the police. It’s not all about kicking in doors and nabbing villains, modern policing, after all. That sort of thing might be all right for Gene Hunt and the Ashes To Ashes mob, but in the 21st century the police obviously have a wider remit, such as telling us to look after our mobile phones.

I look forward to spotting other messages in the series, such as, “Have you remembered to turn off the gas?”

Or, “Don’t forget to pull the telly plug out of the wall before you go to bed”.

Harking back to last week’s column about public information films that used to be on the TV in the Seventies, I do so hope to see a police car message reading, “Put a rug on a polished floor? You might as well set a man trap”.

You can’t blame the police in general for wanting to improve their image. Modern policing isn’t just about shooting innocent Brazillian electricians or putting the baton into protesters at the G20 summit.

Presumably, though, with resources not allowing the return of the friendly old bobby on the beat who could direct you to the nearest dog track, tell you the time and give you a tip for the 2.30 at Haydock all at the same time as cuffing a local rogue around the ear, a few words glimpsed on the back of a squad car as it races off to the scene of some suitably gruesome modern crime is the best we’re going to get.

Perhaps the police should combine this policy with those digital signs that they sometimes have on the back of cars to remind a driver they’ve just cut in front of, to pull over, as if the sight of a police car squealing to a halt in front of you isn’t enough.

Those signs could be programmed to deliver messages to encourage and reassure the public as police cars drift past on patrol. “Nice hat, missus.” “You kids, stop tying fireworks to that cat’s tail” “Don’t you think you’ve had enough, sir?”. That sort of thing.

I suppose things could be worse. At least we’re not getting hourly Twitter updates from the police advising us to look after our phones. Not yet, at any rate. It can only be a matter of time.