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LONDON (Reuters) - British police began trials on Monday of a scheme designed to crack down on anti-social behavior by issuing parking ticket-style fines to offenders.
Those caught committing minor crimes such as being drunk and disorderly or using threatening behavior could now face an instant fine -- a fixed penalty of 40 or 80 pounds ($60 or $120) instead of being cautioned or charged.
"Giving officers greater flexibility to issue penalty notices on the street or at police stations for disorderly behavior will hit the offender in the pocket and avoid lengthy paperwork and court proceedings," said Home Office minister John Denham.
Prime Minister Tony Blair heralded the scheme during his first term in power, declaring that hooligans could be dragged to cashpoint machines to pay instant fines. The plan was hurriedly dropped amid a welter of criticism but has now been revived in a different guise.
Police in four parts of Britain are piloting the scheme: Croydon in south London, the West Midlands in central England, Essex in the east, and part of North Wales.
The scheme was criticized Monday by civil liberties group Liberty for giving too much power to police.
"This scheme lumps together some trivial offences that shouldn't be criminal and some more serious ones that should be and are criminal," said campaigns director Mark Littlewood. "It puts policemen in the position of having to be a judge and jury for these offences -- but without the flexibility to apply a punishment tailored to the offence and the offender."
The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file police officers, was also skeptical.
"There is a potential Achilles' heel to the whole thing," the Federation's chairman, Glen Smyth, told BBC radio.
"We need to make sure that the enforcement of those fines takes place because currently collection of fines for those that have been convicted by the courts and ordered to pay compensation is utterly woeful.
Britain's lower magistrates' courts will be responsible for collecting the fines.
While welcoming a likely reduction in bureaucracy, Smyth also questioned whether the new measures would actually target those responsible for the majority of hooligan-type crimes.
"When you look at the list of offences that are in here, for instance throwing fireworks in the street...plus the offences of drunkenness -- that's very often committed by juveniles and you can't use this process for that."
But Chief Inspector James Andronov of West Midlands police defended the scheme.
"A 40-pounds or an 80-pounds fine is a lot for anyone to be able to afford on top of the cost of a night out," he told the BBC. "We think that it is going to be a good deterrent."
Those caught committing minor crimes such as being drunk and disorderly or using threatening behavior could now face an instant fine -- a fixed penalty of 40 or 80 pounds ($60 or $120) instead of being cautioned or charged.
"Giving officers greater flexibility to issue penalty notices on the street or at police stations for disorderly behavior will hit the offender in the pocket and avoid lengthy paperwork and court proceedings," said Home Office minister John Denham.
Prime Minister Tony Blair heralded the scheme during his first term in power, declaring that hooligans could be dragged to cashpoint machines to pay instant fines. The plan was hurriedly dropped amid a welter of criticism but has now been revived in a different guise.
Police in four parts of Britain are piloting the scheme: Croydon in south London, the West Midlands in central England, Essex in the east, and part of North Wales.
The scheme was criticized Monday by civil liberties group Liberty for giving too much power to police.
"This scheme lumps together some trivial offences that shouldn't be criminal and some more serious ones that should be and are criminal," said campaigns director Mark Littlewood. "It puts policemen in the position of having to be a judge and jury for these offences -- but without the flexibility to apply a punishment tailored to the offence and the offender."
The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file police officers, was also skeptical.
"There is a potential Achilles' heel to the whole thing," the Federation's chairman, Glen Smyth, told BBC radio.
"We need to make sure that the enforcement of those fines takes place because currently collection of fines for those that have been convicted by the courts and ordered to pay compensation is utterly woeful.
Britain's lower magistrates' courts will be responsible for collecting the fines.
While welcoming a likely reduction in bureaucracy, Smyth also questioned whether the new measures would actually target those responsible for the majority of hooligan-type crimes.
"When you look at the list of offences that are in here, for instance throwing fireworks in the street...plus the offences of drunkenness -- that's very often committed by juveniles and you can't use this process for that."
But Chief Inspector James Andronov of West Midlands police defended the scheme.
"A 40-pounds or an 80-pounds fine is a lot for anyone to be able to afford on top of the cost of a night out," he told the BBC. "We think that it is going to be a good deterrent."
