Ban this, ban that, look at me everybody

Can Britain's top cops get any more insulting:

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police has called for a ban on parents buying toy guns for their children as Christmas presents.

Michael Todd said seasonal gifts such as replica and ball-bearing guns .... encouraged anti-social behaviour.

Is this really the extent of the sophistication we can expect from our 'top' law enforcement people? I mean, really, if we have got to the stage when they believe that inanimate objects, by some strange and mystical power, can encourage a certain behaviour in our children then we really are in a sorry state of affairs.

It's not just toy guns he wants to ban parents from buying but also knives which further shows the ridiculousness of his position. I mean, is the clamour to all and sundry to "do wrong" of his own set of kitchen knives so strong that he has thrown them out? Of course not.

The reality of the situation is that such objects do not impose or encourage any particular moral aberration on anyone. Bad parenting and poor education on the other hand can do.

I wonder if this particular policeman is aware that the government is already in the process of completely banning the sale of these objects anyway? Almost certainly, so can we assume that he wants to fast track some law to ban parents buying these items this Christmas season because it is unlikely that the current bill will pass before then? No? Then what does he mean? Who does he want to actually ban who from buying what and when? And more to the point why, given the current legislative progress many of us are suffering? In actual fact, what is his point?

I strongly suspect he spotted a camera or a microphone and just opened his mouth. It got him onto the beeb news site at the very least.

Posted by John at November 28, 2005 03:45 PM | TrackBack