A sledgehammer to crack a nut

Yesterday we remarked about what a dismal Christmas was on the cards in Boston.
But just in case you're still thinking of celebrating, the powers that be have plans for you.
Using the claim that Christmas shopping will be "safer than ever," Boston's Neighbourhood Policing Team, Boston Borough Council and local businesses are launching a "safer shopping" campaign over the Christmas period.
Whilst the laudable aim is to prevent opportunistic crimes such as theft, vehicle crime, burglaries and shop lifting it will mean increased high visibility patrols around the town centre at weekends and on late-night shopping nights.
And if PCs, PCSO's Special Constables and Town Rangers weren't enough Lincolnshire's Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership is providing "street wardens" to provide high visibility patrols and Boston 's Neighbourhood Policing Team is holding four crime prevention sessions on the run up to Christmas.
One of the constant complaints of the sledgehammer to crack a nut approach to crime prevention it that it increases the fear of crime to a point where it is greater that the threat of the real thing.
Then there is the issuing of "alcohol strips" to officers patrolling the town.
The idea of this seems to be to stigmatise Boston's young people by assuming that all teenagers toting a drink can are using it to conceal alcohol, but that they won't get away with it because the alcohol strip will find them out.
"We know that there are young people who use soft drinks containers to disguise the true identity of an alcoholic drink," said Boston Police's licensing officer.
"If the drink is vodka-based, such as the alcopop products, it is very difficult to prove the contents. Any drink in a coloured container isn't easy to identify unless it has a strong smell, such as wine, beer or cider. The alcohol strip will confirm the contents in just two minutes."
The iron fist in the iron glove approach means that underage youngsters found consuming alcohol will have their details taken and their parents contacted and a police officer making a personal visit to their parents.
When we were boys and girls, a nip or two at Christmastime was a rite of passage.
Now it seems to be the first step on the road to a criminal record when more often than not, no serious offence has been committed.
Of course we don't want to see the streets of Boston teeming with pickpockets and footpads. Nor do we wish to see the town's streets reeling with drunken youngsters - or adults for that matter.
But there is no real evidence that this has ever happened in the past, and to swamp the town with police, and treat every shopper as a potential thief seem to us to be over-egging the Christmas pudding.
This sort of policing is just too much.
Bostonians in general are decent, law abiding people - whatever their age - and should be treated as such.
Oh. One final question.
Where do the police go and what do they do for the other eleven and a half months of the year?

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