£500,000 for pointless jobs, while crooks run rampant

If ever a decision not to spend money was justified, we feel it was the one taken by Boston Borough Council not to sling its last remaining £20,000 at Lincolnshire Police to fund one of those Pointless Community Support Officers.
Whilst the county force has yet to see a penny of its five per cent council tax rise, that's not going to stop it spending the money in advance.
No fewer than twenty-two new jobs are currently being advertised in the force's bid to "make a difference to the people of Lincolnshire."
They include three to work under the aegis of RIPA - the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act that authorises undercover investigations to help trap spies, terrorists and people who overfill their wheelie bins.
Other vacancies include financial investigation, "intelligence" investigation, computer stuff (inevitably) and lots of stuff to do with "reviews" and "disclosure."
Although these jobs were advertised in the Boston press, the vacancies are mostly in Lincoln, with five located at something called the Major Crime Unit in Sleaford.
Astonishingly, the wage bill for these posts totals more than half a million pounds a year.
We have to say we wonder whether they are all really necessary ... and also how much they contribute to the police claim in the advert that "We want to build trust and confidence in Lincolnshire Police by neighbourhoods safer, by protecting the public we serve and by improving our services."
The recruitment campaign coincides with a "series" of house burglaries in Boston that has prompted police to start a "crackdown."
A "series?" More like an epidemic.
The fact is that there have been FIFTEEN burglaries in two weeks around Fenside and the Sleaford Road area.
The police have, of course, adopted their usual proactive role.
"We need to hear from anyone who believes they may know who is responsible for these offences, which we believe are almost certainly linked," said a spokeswoman.
"As part of the initiative, increased high visibility and plain-clothed patrols are being carried out in the targeted areas, both as a deterrent and to trace those responsible.
"We're doing all we can to trace the person or people responsible for these offences, but we also need local residents to do their bit by taking preventative advice."
We say Hmmmmm.
If it takes 15 crimes in a small area before the police bestir themselves and set foot on our dirty pavements, then that is little short of scandalous.
The so-called "initiative" is nothing more than closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
And if anyone knows the secret of how to prevent thieves throwing a concrete block through your window to get into steal your belongings (which was the modus operandi in some cases) then we'd like to hear it.
Mornin' all.

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