Papírrendőr – vajon tényleg hatékony a bűnmegelőzésben?

Police spend more than £50,000 on cardboard cut-out PCs to scare away shoplifters…

Police have spent more than £50,000 on cardboard cut-outs of themselves – despite most forces admitting they do not know if they stop crime. The two-dimensional crime fighters are supposed to deter shoplifters and petrol thieves who think they are real PCs from a distance. But some have become victims of crime themselves after being stolen by pranksters or vandalised.

Now MailOnline can reveal forces have bought more than 750 of the replicas – at the same time as axing more than 10,000 officers. The total was questioned by the Police Federation, which said more cash should be spent on real PCs.

Obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the figures show almost half of Britain’s police forces have invested in the cut-outs since 2008, when they first made headlines. A total of 21 forces said £53,940 had been spent on 782 cardboard cut-outs. Most were used for crime prevention along with a small number used as promotional materials.

But there were huge differences in the amount paid by each force – and therefore the value of money to the taxpayer. One police force paid 10 times more for each cardboard policeman than another force 200 miles away. Gwent Police spent by far the most, splashing out £13,260 on just 52 cut-outs at £255 each. By comparison the average cost of a carboard crime-fighter was a much more modest £69 – and South Yorkshire Police paid just £25 for each of theirs.

Meanwhile, only three of the 21 forces could provide MailOnline with any figures to suggest the cut-outs stop crime.

source: www.dailmail.co.uk

cardboard cut-out – kartonból kivágott figura
despite – valami ellenére
to deter – elriasztani, elrettenteni
shoplifter – bolti tolvaj
PC = police constable – közrendőr
from a distance – távolból
victim – áldozat
prankster – tréfacsináló
to reveal – felfedni, nyilvánosságra hozni
to axe – leépíteni
Freedom of Information Act – Információszabadsági törvény
to invest – befektetni valamibe
to make headlines – újságfőcímbe kerül
crime prevention – bűnmegelőzés
promotional material – reklámanyag
taxpayer – adófizető
by comparison – összehasonlításképp
average – átlag, átlagos
meanwhile – mindeközben
figures – számok, adatok

True or false?

1. The police force has been recruiting recently.

2. There isn’t enough data to prove the cardboard officers prevent crime.

3. Some cardboard officers have been vandalised.

4. The lowest amount paid for a cut-out was £69.

5. The cardboard officers made it into the papers in 2008.

answers: 1-F 2-T 3-T 4-F 5-T