They're not exactly what we'd call the boys in blue as the Target has ... but then what do you expect for £60,000 a year?
The Boston Standard has dubbed them the Town Rangers - "a trio on a mission to battle crime in Boston town centre."
Appropriately dressed in blue anoraks, these three musketeers are Boston BID's big idea for making the town centre a better place for shoppers and businesses alike.
Whilst we're not knocking the idea of the Business Improvement District concept (it's worked quite well in other places) we just hope that BID has a few other ideas up its sleeve rather than adding yet another layer of pseudo police to the ones already operating in the town.
If there is a crime problem in the centre of Boston, it is the job of the police to tackle it. That's what they're paid a lot of money for.
But the police are conspicuous by their absence.
Hands up the last time you saw a bobby in the town centre, or wherever you live for that matter.
Not to worry, there are already plenty of other ways that crime is monitored and prevented while the police doze safe and sound over their paperwork in the comfort of a warm and cozy office.
Shopkeepers already use a radio link with keeps them in touch with the police and the CCTV operators to save the cops the bruden of patrol.
We also have Police Community Support Officers - that unseen band of mostly overweight but quite well-paid heroes who tirelessly organise football matches in the season and neighbourhood litter collections outside of those hours.
Lincolnshire Police is currently advertising for more Special Constables - that forgotten group of volunteers civilians who dress up as policemen and work for nothing but a boot allowance because they enjoy it.
We also have security staff in most of the town's bigger stores, and in Pescod Square a team of black-clad minders whose role appears to be to slouch against the shopfronts talking to staff who've nipped out for a smoke ... but looking menacing to would-be criminals while they're about it.
Lincolnshire Police meanwhile don't want any new recruits but when they do, remind us that they are currently under represented by female, ethnic minority and lesbian and gay officers. Whether this means that they don't regard a lesbian as female is an interesting debate that we won't go into here. They currently have just one vacancy, for civilian post, which pays up to £30,000 to "play a key role in boosting the profile of our community engagement activities."
And still everyone feels sorry for the police authority because it pleads poverty.
Incidentally, if you do need the services of your PCSOs, for once we know where you can find them.
Tomorrow they're at ASDA for most of the day - holding a "special surgery" and giving free eye tests while police cadets will bag your groceries for you in twice the time you would take yourself ... thus making the queues even longer.
Hands up if you remember the days when the police were on the streets preventing crime.
And we look forward to hearing BID's next cunning plan for the town ... whatever it is, it can only be an improvement.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested
The Boston Standard has dubbed them the Town Rangers - "a trio on a mission to battle crime in Boston town centre."
Appropriately dressed in blue anoraks, these three musketeers are Boston BID's big idea for making the town centre a better place for shoppers and businesses alike.
Whilst we're not knocking the idea of the Business Improvement District concept (it's worked quite well in other places) we just hope that BID has a few other ideas up its sleeve rather than adding yet another layer of pseudo police to the ones already operating in the town.
If there is a crime problem in the centre of Boston, it is the job of the police to tackle it. That's what they're paid a lot of money for.
But the police are conspicuous by their absence.
Hands up the last time you saw a bobby in the town centre, or wherever you live for that matter.
Not to worry, there are already plenty of other ways that crime is monitored and prevented while the police doze safe and sound over their paperwork in the comfort of a warm and cozy office.
Shopkeepers already use a radio link with keeps them in touch with the police and the CCTV operators to save the cops the bruden of patrol.
We also have Police Community Support Officers - that unseen band of mostly overweight but quite well-paid heroes who tirelessly organise football matches in the season and neighbourhood litter collections outside of those hours.
Lincolnshire Police is currently advertising for more Special Constables - that forgotten group of volunteers civilians who dress up as policemen and work for nothing but a boot allowance because they enjoy it.
We also have security staff in most of the town's bigger stores, and in Pescod Square a team of black-clad minders whose role appears to be to slouch against the shopfronts talking to staff who've nipped out for a smoke ... but looking menacing to would-be criminals while they're about it.
Lincolnshire Police meanwhile don't want any new recruits but when they do, remind us that they are currently under represented by female, ethnic minority and lesbian and gay officers. Whether this means that they don't regard a lesbian as female is an interesting debate that we won't go into here. They currently have just one vacancy, for civilian post, which pays up to £30,000 to "play a key role in boosting the profile of our community engagement activities."
And still everyone feels sorry for the police authority because it pleads poverty.
Incidentally, if you do need the services of your PCSOs, for once we know where you can find them.
Tomorrow they're at ASDA for most of the day - holding a "special surgery" and giving free eye tests while police cadets will bag your groceries for you in twice the time you would take yourself ... thus making the queues even longer.
Hands up if you remember the days when the police were on the streets preventing crime.
And we look forward to hearing BID's next cunning plan for the town ... whatever it is, it can only be an improvement.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested
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