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[bob.dent]

A couple of weeks ago on a Friday night my local pub was the unfortunate victim of a Police drugs raid. This was the real McCoy..........about 12 squad cars and about 25 police. They sealed the pub and no one was allowed to move or leave until they had been physically searched and questioned whereby they then had to leave the premises. There was a small amount of cocaine recovered and one person arrested, which is nothing compared to some of the other pubs in town. Once the pub was empty they then brought in sniffer dogs and the entire premises including the living quarters. Now bearing in mind that it's basically a family pub and the landlord (who is my best mate) is 63 and his wife 59 it's hardly likely they are involved in drug abuse or dealing!! He absolutely detests drugs and immediately bars anyone caught using or selling them. There is a small element of youngsters that have been involved with drugs that use the pub but unless caught red handed they're not easy to deal with.

The pub was then served with an immediate closure notice pending a court appearance on the Monday which was then adjourned to the following week.
At the court, 10 minutes before the case was due to start, the Police suddenly decided not to proceed with their prosecution and offered a settlement out of court. The deal was that they remain closed for a further two weeks and then re-open as normal with no conditions.
 
It turns out that the local council wanted to show that they were doing something about the drugs problem in the area and my mates pub was the unlucky scapegoat. The Police evidence against the pub had been largely fabricated and they knew the case would have been thrown out. It turns out that one particular person they were naming as dealing drugs from the pub had been barred in June is currently in prison!!

In the meantime, my mate has lost thousands in lost earnings and had to spend thousands on lawyers etc., nearly lost his licence and his home and the whole farce has cost the taxpayer a fortune!!

WHAT BLO*DY MORONS!!

[STMO123]

I'm pretty sure that there must be a way of claiming his financial loses Bob but, as you say, the personal distress he and his family suffered must have been immense.
What the police do not realise is, once this gets into the public domain, it wiil actually attract dealers as they will think there is a market at that pub.

[bob.dent]

I'm pretty sure that there must be a way of claiming his financial loses Bob but, as you say, the personal distress he and his family suffered must have been immense.
What the police do not realise is, once this gets into the public domain, it wiil actually attract dealers as they will think there is a market at that pub.

Unfortunately Steve, his lawyer seemed to think that his chances of compensation were very slim, particularly as it was settled out of court.

He's also having CCTV installed throughout the pub before it re-opens, and he's employing doormen at weekends to keep an eye the place, so that should be a deterrent to potential dealers.

[Markjay]

This is really odd... especially as anyone caught with a small quantity will be let off with a caution anyway, so why bother and commit all these resources in the first place?

Now not everyone will agree with me, but if there was a minimum penalty of 6 months in prison for knowingly possesing any quantity of any class of drug, that would be something else... initially some misguided youth will have their life messed-up which is probably unfair, but sometimes you have to shoot a hostage... and I have no doubt that this will almost totally eradicate the drugs problem. Forget the dealers, they have their ways of evading justice and at any rate for the millions they make they dont mind being locked-up for a while. Hit the users and there will be no dealers. My view, anyway...

[Kevin Wood]

Just typical of the times in which we live. What the Police are seen to do is more important than whether it actually makes the country a nicer place to live.

I'm guessing they had to raid another pub and issue another prohibition order to meet their government targets and, in the absence of any leads, just picked a pub at random.

Kevin

[STMO123]

Just typical of the times in which we live. What the Police are seen to do is more important than whether it actually makes the country a nicer place to live.

I'm guessing they had to raid another pub and issue another prohibition order to meet their government targets and, in the absence of any leads, just picked a pub at random.

Kevin

It's certainly a game of politics these days.

[bob.dent]

Just typical of the times in which we live. What the Police are seen to do is more important than whether it actually makes the country a nicer place to live.

I'm guessing they had to raid another pub and issue another prohibition order to meet their government targets and, in the absence of any leads, just picked a pub at random.

Kevin

That's about the size of it Kev. It was stated that the Borough Council wanted to be "seen" to be doing something about the drugs problem and so in this case raided an innocent pub (apart from a few herberts that you get in any pub) by not doing thier research properly . So what does this sort of thing actually achieve?..........absolutlely NOTHING!!

As you say, a useless exercise in meeting government targets...........and to what cost to any innocents that get in the way?!!

[miggy]

Talking of wasting money, Down here in Newport the is a Hobbycraft, 2 weeks ago police stormed to the shop and the helicopter was called out, they searched the area for 2 boys who had been shop lifting, when they caught them it turns out they had stole 2 tiny tins of airfix model paint.

Now that is wasting taxs payers money

Also Hobbycraft knew what they had got, the bill for the police time should be sent to those Pr"*ks.

[Elite Pete]

Talking of wasting money, Down here in Newport the is a Hobbycraft, 2 weeks ago police stormed to the shop and the helicopter was called out, they searched the area for 2 boys who had been shop lifting, when they caught them it turns out they had stole 2 tiny tins of airfix model paint.

Now that is wasting taxs payers money

Also Hobbycraft knew what they had got, the bill for the police time should be sent to those Pr"*ks.
 

The bill should go to the lads parents.

[miggy]

Talking of wasting money, Down here in Newport the is a Hobbycraft, 2 weeks ago police stormed to the shop and the helicopter was called out, they searched the area for 2 boys who had been shop lifting, when they caught them it turns out they had stole 2 tiny tins of airfix model paint.

Now that is wasting taxs payers money

Also Hobbycraft knew what they had got, the bill for the police time should be sent to those Pr"*ks.
 

The bill should go to the lads parents.

Agree, but you would have thought Hobbycraft would have told the police what was stolen, or at least the police should have asked.
But yes, you are right, the parents should have to foot the bill
 

[bob.dent]

I think that in any blatant waste of taxpayers money by the authorities, it's the authorities themselves that should foot the bill.

Most of my companys customers are government organisations and it's staggering to see the levels of incompetence shown by many (not all) of the staff that work for them.

[theolodian]

May be covered under business insurance.

[Tony H]

May be covered under business insurance.

Thats possible worth looking to see if there is an interruption of trade clause and if it would cover it

[MikeDundee]

Well sounds like money well wasted yet again ..............bad news for the landlord, seems like a very nice man to me when I met him

[Paulus]

This is really odd... especially as anyone caught with a small quantity will be let off with a caution anyway, so why bother and commit all these resources in the first place?

Now not everyone will agree with me, but if there was a minimum penalty of 6 months in prison for knowingly possesing any quantity of any class of drug, that would be something else... initially some misguided youth will have their life messed-up which is probably unfair, but sometimes you have to shoot a hostage... and I have no doubt that this will almost totally eradicate the drugs problem. Forget the dealers, they have their ways of evading justice and at any rate for the millions they make they dont mind being locked-up for a while. Hit the users and there will be no dealers. My view, anyway...

Agreed...