The police also use helicopters to chase teenage joyriders.This is simply to impress the public that they'reactually doing something and simply adds to their sense of self importance.I walked past St Mary's on Saturday morning.The whole of the pavement was taped off butonly down to the bus-stop. People pushingprams were being forced to walk in the road.There were two constables standing chattingat the St Marys Rd entrance to the churchyard. But none at the back at Roberts Alley. Which is why I had to walk around.When I suggested fixing the tape to thelitter bin next to the wall rather than the bus stop, thus saving people having to walk in the road they said it was a crime scene.Despite there not being any weapons evidenton that stretch of pavement, coupledwith the fact they couldn't explain why the cordoned off area ended at the bus stop.I was tempted to suggest that they should accompany pedestrians walking in the road, but probably that wasn't covered in their training, and they're not insured to do thatin any case.In the last few years the practice of nocturnalsocial and unsocial drinking seemed to be on the increase St Mary's Churchyard. Which was probably unavoidable without measures which would totally destroy the ambience, entirely. Once the empty cans have been cleared away, at least.However quite why anyone thought that providing benches and paths and generally tidying up graveyard and makingit more easily accessible would help in this respect is anyone's guess. Well there is a theory that people respond favourably toimprovements in their environment - which is mainly a throwback to discredited utopian ideas about social housing and probably doesn't apply to alcoholics in any case.Not that I've got any concrete evidence that thisnecesssrily applies in this particular case, as thepolice constables weren't particularly forthcoming, "just following orders etc." but its what I'd put my money on. michael adams...
Michael Adams ● 3954d