Better Safe Than Sorry

‘BURIED deep on page 10 of the Telegraph is news of Tory shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin’s new plans for paedophiles, which consists of tracking them by satellite.

Noncebuster I

He describes them as ”careful and measured” and does not want them to lead to ”a slippery slope where everyone is tracked every minute of our working day”.

But why not? After all, the current system doesn’t work, does it?

As things stand, the paedo monsters are required to report regularly to police stations, which was convenient and discreet, given that they were all employed there anyway.

The problem came with the 50 per cent of the police force who are on sick leave at any particular time. How do we monitor them?

This problem is illustrated by the case of Sgt Nigel Miller, the police officer who hit the headlines by running the line at the Leeds v Man United match last week while on sick leave from work.

There is of course no suggestion that Sgt Miller is a paedophile, but there is a clear danger that the public might jump to the wrong conclusion if they were to discover his profession.

The Times reports that the Football Association has sensibly decided to take him off this weekend’s Newcastle v Sunderland derby, where a large and emotional mob is sure to gather.

He will officiate at a more low-profile fixture instead, with Peterborough United the most likely venue.

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Posted: 19th, September 2002 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink