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’Ello ’ello ’ello once again for the police box?
12:16pm Tuesday 15th July 2008
Comments (15)IT was once a familiar sight on the streets of Britain - although these days it's best-known as the preferred mode of transport for Doctor Who.
But if a Boscombe councillor has his way, Bournemouth could see the return of the traditional Tardis-style blue police telephone box.
Toy replicas of the police boxes can be found in practically every young boy's bedroom in the country, thanks to the success of David Tennant as the Doctor on Saturday nights.
But even when the show began in the 1960s, the boxes were becoming a rare sight on British streets.
Now Cllr Phil Stanley-Watts is calling for them to be brought back to help tackle crime in Boscombe.
It is part of his wider call for more police community support officers on the streets of Boscombe to deter criminals and make the public feel safer.
Cllr Stanley-Watts recently met with Boscombe Inspector Mark Kelly to discuss some of his ideas.
He said: "Apparently there is a shortage of PCSOs. There should be more of a police presence on Boscombe seafront as a precaution in the summer.
"As far as a blue police box goes, I will be pushing for that. I think it is a good idea to have an updated version of the blue police box because people would feel safer," he said.
The traditional blue police box could be used to report crimes as well as providing reassurance, he added.
Your Say YourBournemouth Echo
JLC2, here says...
12:37pm Tue 15 Jul 08
bobble212, Christchurch says...
1:30pm Tue 15 Jul 08
it's a bit pointless isn't it?but seriously cool though !!
Christopher, Wallisdown & Winton West says...
1:39pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Police in Dalek suits next.
Sorry, just a joke.
Chris McColl, Bournemouth says...
1:48pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Perhaps this cllr could use this travelling time machine to pay a visit to planet reality at some point.
PETE WOODLEY, says...
2:43pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Tel3977, Poole says...
4:26pm Tue 15 Jul 08
muffin the mule, wallisdown says...
4:30pm Tue 15 Jul 08
fedupwithjobsworths, Moordown says...
6:44pm Tue 15 Jul 08
Why is there never enough money to employ more Police but always shedloads to employ useless council do-gooders?
MIG, Poole says...
7:42pm Tue 15 Jul 08
1. The 'traditional' pattern as used by the BBC is actually a Metropolitan Police Pattern, Boxes used by other Police forces varied in style and colour, some are still in place, for instance in Glasgow there is one that is now 'Commercial premises'.
2. Bournemouth Borough Police used a variety of 'Boxes', I think that the last one in use was a small room in the information centre next to the public toilets!
So of what exactly is the good councillor proposing the return?
Surely return means reinstating something which was there previously.
Another point - Can anyone please explain to me how the Police Community Support Officers get the word 'Officer' in their title? What Office do they hold and under what authority. A Police Officer holds Office under the Crown and is sworn to carry out that function.
Dorsetman1986, Wimborne says...
8:42pm Tue 15 Jul 08
1: Suppose you see or are the victim of a crime. The perpetrators will, often as not, be rather unhappy about someone ringing up to report them and bring them to justice. As such, a rather unjust retribution on the part of said perpetrators could well occur as a result of seeing someone walking into a very visible and conspicuous booth aimed for the purpose of reporting crime.
2: The vast majority of people who report any misdemeanour would prefer to do it anonymously so as not to be called a grass or a snitch. It's a bit hard to be anonymous when you are walking into a ruddy great blue box with 'police' on it, and is designed for the very purpose that you wish to remain anonymous for.
3: What's the point of having a police call box to report crime when virtually everyone has a mobile phone anyway, and those who do not are pretty much covered by the provision of the phone booth!
So as I said, a bad move and a waste of money.
Bad move because of the condemnation people will get for reporting openly, and possible intimidation from being so obvious in doing so, and a waste of money because that intimidation will cause people to not want to use them as a result, coupled with everyone having mobiles or the less obvious phone booths.
The money is better spent on other initiatives.
BournPosh, Bournemouth says...
10:03am Wed 16 Jul 08
Christopher wrote:lol. Or better still, send the prisoners to another planet !
Or is the new government prison proposal, to counteract our growing criminal list. It looks small on the outside, but it is huge on the inside.
Police in Dalek suits next.
Sorry, just a joke.
ilcolonello, Noydb says...
11:15am Wed 16 Jul 08
boysy, oakdale says...
11:10pm Wed 16 Jul 08
flippin ecc, says...
7:34pm Tue 14 Oct 08
He may care to join the many signatories on the Number 10 website, where there is a petition for the return of the police box.
http://petitions.num
ber10.gov.uk/POLICEB
OXES-2007/
It's interesting that in Japan there is a lot less anti-social activity on the streets and Japanese police officers still patrol on foot between a network of police boxes.
IT ALSO TRAVELS IN TIME: The Tardis, from Doctor Who, takes the form of a 1960s police box
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John, Poole says...
12:28pm Tue 15 Jul 08