Imagine, if you will, the powers of the Federal Marshals, the FBI, the ATF and the Treasury agents, along with their friends in the federal prosecutor’s office being given to a Shift Lead of your local transit agency, your mail carrier’s Assistant Manager, as well as a Case Manager at your local welfare office.
You don’t have to imagine it.
Just go to the UK.
Draconian police powers designed to deprive crime barons of luxury lifestyles are being extended to councils, quangos and agencies to use against the public, The Times has learnt.
The right to search homes, seize cash, freeze bank accounts and confiscate property will be given to town hall officials and civilian investigators employed by organisations as diverse as Royal Mail, the Rural Payments Agency and Transport for London.
The measure, being pushed through by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, comes into force next week and will deploy some of the most powerful tools available to detectives against fare dodgers, families in arrears with council tax and other minor offenders.
The radical extension of the Proceeds of Crime Act, through a Statutory Instrument which is not debated by parliament, has been condemned by the chairman of the Police Federation. Paul McKeever said that he was shocked to learn that the decision to hand over “intrusive powers†to people who were not police was made without consultation or debate.
Can you say “Police State”?
I knew you could.
Jump a turnstyle on the Tube? They can seize your car.
Miss paying your television license fee? Say good bye to your house.
Think I’m overstating this? They’ve set confiscation goals and incentives.
The expansion of seizure powers is part of a Home Office plan to “embed†financial seizure across the criminal justice system. Ministers set a target to recover £250 million in criminal assets by 2010, rising to £1 billion per year soon after.
An “explanatory memorandum†says that a swath of financial investigators attached to the newly empowered bodies will be accredited, trained and monitored by another quango, the National Policing Improvement Agency. The memo adds that asset seizure will result in financial rewards: “Investigation bodies will receive a share of money recovered as additional funding to incentivise further work in recovering the proceeds of crime.â€
…..
Councils and other bodies had access to asset recovery powers before but only with with the authorisation and involvement of the police. Now they will be able to act independently of any police force or law enforcement agency.
“Guilty until proven innocent” anyone?
Oh yes, I do believe so.
Found via Nick M @ CCinZ, whom I also stole the title of this post from. He has plenty more snark where that came from.
Like I’ve always said, Orwell was an optimist.
The advantage of speaking English when touring quaint places in Europe only goes so far, and not far enough for this. I suggest that all right-thinking folks refuse to tour England until there’s been a massive change of government there and a complete re-do of their nanny-state, giving Englishmen back the country that they won with sweat and blood, SEVERAL times, from various dictators.
Maybe it’s time some proper Englishmen went to see the
Sinn Fein and started taking lessons. Lots of coastline there to bring stuff in on the sly, and the Royal Navy isn’t what it used to be.
If I could I would, I’d send ’em Stens and Brens.