There's never a copper around when you want one

We may have thousands of officers who lead the field in cultural diversity, a fine police record on sexual hate crime, hundreds of new rape investigators, and an improved detection rate for homophobia. But what we didn’t have on the streets of Croydon last night was any coppers. Just as the People’s Republic of Lambeth in the 1980s was too busy sending fraternal greetings in Moscow’s direction to get round to gritting the streets in winter, so too we have a pc Met Police today that hasn’t quite gotten round to pacing the streets. It is, veritably, the Metaphorical Police force, because first up it exists as an effective law and order unit only in the heads of Parliamentarians and local councillors; and second, it is a metaphor for our times: replete with mission statements, management bllocks, zero tolerance, top brass, liaison committees, targets and training courses.

Strapworld commenting on CoffeeHouse