Police cannot be trusted to hand out summary justice and will act as “judge and jury” if given powers to issue more on-the-spot fines, magistrates have warned.
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More and more offences are being dealt with by these iniquitous on-the spot fines.
Before the Labour government came to power I seem to remember that here was a premise in law, that " You were innocent until proved guilty". Oh how it's changed. Even if you contest the charge, and are proven innocent, costs can be awarded against you, and are more than the fine in the first place. Justice, (or lack of it), seems a one way street now.
The trouble with this one is that those who have committed a serious motoring offence will be treated the same in law, as one who has just made a minor error of judgement. Magistrate's courts are there to assess the seriousness of the offence and punish accordingly.
Of course here is the crunch.
That's why I have no faith in the Police.
More and more offences are being dealt with by these iniquitous on-the spot fines.
Before the Labour government came to power I seem to remember that here was a premise in law, that " You were innocent until proved guilty". Oh how it's changed. Even if you contest the charge, and are proven innocent, costs can be awarded against you, and are more than the fine in the first place. Justice, (or lack of it), seems a one way street now.
“This is a proposal that places the convenience of the police above what is right in principle, may coerce innocent drivers into accepting a fixed penalty, and is certain generally to downgrade careless driving in terms of offence seriousness.”
The trouble with this one is that those who have committed a serious motoring offence will be treated the same in law, as one who has just made a minor error of judgement. Magistrate's courts are there to assess the seriousness of the offence and punish accordingly.
Of course here is the crunch.
However, Mick Giannasi, Gwent Chief Constable who is in charge of roads policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “By dealing with offences in this way, it can result in a reduction in the amount of time that police officers spend completing paperwork and attending court, while also reducing the burden on the courts and the taxpayer.”They don't care about justice, just crime reduction figures, targets, and costs.
That's why I have no faith in the Police.
