A NEW police text message service has been shelved after it emerged that the public in Greater Manchester used it just three times in one month.
The text number 66101 was launched by the government in a £3.5m nationwide publicity campaign for the 'police pledge'.
Users were invited to text their postcode and the word 'PLEDGE' to the number, so they could report minor offences to local community officers.
But the number has been taken out of service after figures showed it had failed to catch on.
Home Office figures show fewer than 200 people in the Greater Manchester Police area have used the service since it went `live' in March, and only three sent a text in the month of May.
Nationwide, the number received 91 texts during May - equivalent to just three texts a day.
Failure
The service ended at the beginning of this month and the Home Office said it would not run again until autumn, because it was not `cost effective'.
Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The policing pledge always looked like it was going to be an expensive failure."
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Both the pledge and the new national police target seem to have ended up with forces spending money on PR exercises which could be better spent on frontline policing.
"Surely it's better to have more police on the streets continuing the battle against gun and knife crime."
The 'Justice Seen, Justice Done Policing Pledge' was launched in March, by the then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, backed up with a massive marketing campaign.
The launch was backed up with a massive marketing campaign including billboard posters, newspaper and internet adverts.
During March, as the publicity campaign was launched, there were 2,336 text messages sent to the new 66101 text number across the UK, 140 of them from a Greater Manchester postcode.
By the following month, the use of the service had slumped dramatically with a total of 615 messages sent to the number nationwide, and just 43 in the Greater Manchester region.
And in May, the third month in which the service had been available, only 91 texts were sent to the number. The number of texts with a Greater Manchester postcode during May was just three.
The Home Office said that it could not supply figures for the month of June and the number was taken out of service at the beginning of July
A spokesman for GMP said: "The text number is another way to get the contact details for your local policing team."
Tweet
Showing comments 1 to 24 and replies | View All
Duke Zovazard (21/07/2009 at 07:57)
If I need you I know your number and I know where police stations are.
Focussing on and wasting money on stupid text exercises, having a stall at the transgender festival this month, displaying Stonewall flags etc are pointless. You are there to keep the streets safe, not be scratching your heads on ideas on how to be popular.
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (21/07/2009 at 08:01)
We will not claim for expenses that cannot be justified.
We will seek the publics views and opinions, like we were supposed to do with the EU referendum.
We will not engage in petty point scoring and putting down opponents - but will work hard for the benefit of our constituency.
We will use taxpayers cash wisely.
We will not resort to spin, half truthes and word games, but tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
We will not interfere unnecessarily in the professions of teaching, medicine, law and policing for political reasons. We will not burden these workers with excessive statistical collection and compliance with our latest "good ideas"....
Anyone think of any more?
Voter (21/07/2009 at 08:07)
john davis, Broughton, Salford (21/07/2009 at 08:18)
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (21/07/2009 at 08:28)
""You are there to keep the streets safe, not be scratching your heads on ideas on how to be popular. ""
Keep shouting this out. The cops generally don't want this trendy rubbish and want to be locking villains up...
It is all pushed by the fag end of this Government - and supported by Senior Officers in the promotion system who toe the line.
Duke Zovazard (21/07/2009 at 08:36)
It's like when those people in Cheetham Hill were arrested as terror suspects. More police time was taken up afterwards by hand delivering leaflets (that 'reassured the community') through letterboxes, knocking on doors explaining why they were arrested, attending meetings at the Town Hall to appease the community leaders etc. This was taking valuable plice resource off the streets so the rest of the public had to suffer as they 'reassured the community'.
In my book if you commit a crime it doesn't matter if you are straight, bi, gay, black, chinese. jewish, Christian, muslim etc. The same law applies to us all so the police should just enforce the law.
The reason for the stall at the transgender festival was to build up a relationship with the part of society as they apparently don't report crimes concerning 'hate'. Well most people I know don't report crimes either as all you get is a crime reference if there is an insurance form to be filled out.
A bloke on a motorbike smacked my wingmirror and kicked out at the door (his kick missed). I noted his reg, bike model etc and reported it. I was sent from Bootle Street (by a PSO) to Moss Side who sent me back to Bootle Street who then gave me the traffic division number to ring. They could only intervene if criminal damage had been caused. As it hadn't (luckily) they were not prepared to get involved but offered a crime reference. I gave up in the end and this nutter was free to mete out his violence.
I saw this bloke go to a backstreet garage in town and I discreetly phoned up asking if the knew the owner of that bike. They said that he turns up a few times a week trying to flog bikes. Maybe if the police had followed it up (rather than manning stalls at fairs) they might have caught a motorbike thief.
Like I say, I just gave up in the end as most people do.
I feel sorry for the police as whne they join up I imagine they think it is about keeping the bad apples off the streets, not sat behind a desk or delivering leaflets.
J. Peasmold Gruntfuttock, King of Peasmouldia (21/07/2009 at 09:02)
dessie, manchester (21/07/2009 at 09:28)
mike356 (21/07/2009 at 09:31)
tomegranate (21/07/2009 at 10:36)
nyb, ex manc (21/07/2009 at 11:22)
Duke Zovazard (21/07/2009 at 11:47)
You have somebody who clearly has no problem with punching somebodys wingmirror in moving traffic and lashing out at their vehicle with his foot. That is not normal; behaviour wjere I live, not sure about your area. Hopefully you will encounter him next time and he will be more accurate and will smash your side window and cost you £1000 by damaging your doors.
If the police had a word maybe he would think twice about doing it again. As things stand the bloke can get away with it.The fact that the police aren't interested means that he got away with it. Besides, the police recently issued a statement and adverts saying that we should report all crime so I was doing what any good citizen would.
As the garage said he comes in a few times aweek trying to sell bikes and also comes in for new number plates and locks and spare keys. As in New York when you stamp on the small crimes they can lead to bigger one's. Was he a thief?
The following week after this incident I saw bloke trying to seize a womans purse so I just walked on. What's the point? If nobody else is bothered then why should I be.
Barthomley (21/07/2009 at 12:02)
From experience the type of person who freely lashes out, especially in public, will unlikely be a first time offender. If indeed he was a first time offender then maybe a stearn ticking off will mark his cards and he will think twice before doing it again. That is called crime prevention, which is always better than trying to solve a violent crime after the event and with a victim left to pick up the pieces.
What does 'tomegranate' suugest? Shall we wait until he smashes somebodies window and showers glass over an innocent infant in the back or shall we nip it in the bud now?
The latter will, in the long run, save more police tim.
We have too many people in today's society who accept people's violence and lack of respect as the norm. Maybe it is where you live, but in many parts of the country and most parts of the world society isn't as rough as we have fast become in this city.
Why accept crime as the norm?
davefb, bolton (21/07/2009 at 12:22)
that advert was supposed to advertise a number ? I think I'd be questioning who designed the advert, surely it utterly fails to convey this information ?
Small print is to tell you the minor stuff, not the major thing , like what the 'banner' is actually about and how to use it.. The only winners here is the useless ad agency used?
AlexisV (21/07/2009 at 12:52)
Well, it's a nicely designed ad - clever strapline.
Problem is its advertising the wrong thing. It talks about a 'pledge' and the police talking to YOU. Not sure where the message about the public talking to the police about crime is.
Knowsleyman, Paphos (21/07/2009 at 13:41)
What the hell is the chance of Greater Manchester Police responding to a TEXT message when they do not even respond to telephone calls, not even 999 ones.
I used to live in Kowsley Street, Bury and that is all of 250 yds from the Police station. An old lady had been assaulted in the street and the thugs were waiting at a nearby bus stop, laughing about what they had done. I dialled 999 and told them that the thugs were waiting at the bus stop. Yes, you guessed right, the Police waited about 20 minutes, to ensure that the thugs had gone, before turning up. I blasted them for taking so long, but what was the point. Clearly, they are totally useless and not fit for purpose!!!,
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (21/07/2009 at 14:26)
Well done you...shoot the messenger...demoralise some cop who is running around trying his and her best to keep the wheel on rather than write in to tackle the bureaucrats. politicians and policymakers that are really responsible for there being too few cops on the street!
Is the waiting list in a hospital the fault of overworked nurses and doctors - or the responsibility of a government which has spent the money on targets, managers, extra bureaucracy and the like. The parallels with the police and education are plenty.
Also - if the Government had built more prisons years ago to give burglars, rapists and the like decent sentences - perhaps the cops would be more adept at dealing with new matters rather than chasing around after people who should be inside not on early release.
Barthomley (21/07/2009 at 14:43)
I recently had bad service from an airline so I made my complaint known at that time to the check in operator. I know realise that by your theory that I should have taken up my issue with the Chairman of the company instead as the check in lady was only the poor person that deals directly with customers and not responsible for policy.
Do you really think that Gordon Brown will meet you to discuss knowsleymans complaint? Do you think even the Chief Constable will meet with you?
Change the way you think.
davefb, bolton (21/07/2009 at 15:59)
err yes. too clever by half, unless you walk past it and personally i'd have to cross the road to read the small text, you've no idea what it's talking about, even at the scale reproduced here, you can't actually read any of the text, apart from the strapline.
there's plenty of adverts with the same scale on this webpage, none of them avoid saying what they're about. only that one.
Barthomley (21/07/2009 at 16:32)
Look at what happens in town if there is a traffic light failure, we are left to fend for oursleves. Overseas you would get a traffic copper or similar who would direct the traffic and keep it flowing. That is what traffic wardens should be doing, keeping things moving, not trying to meet their ticketting targets.
My daughter was onced parked in the Gay Village and returned to her car late after fainting in a store. When she got to the car it had been towed away and this was at 5.30pm on a dark winters nights and she had to walk to the compound around the back of Ardwick to collect it. She was frightened and had no money to pay for it's release on her so had to walk back to the station amongst prostitutes!
I wouldn't mind but she well overpaid as she only had £2 coins, but no, the law is the law, no common sense, pay up.
Think.
Jay B, oldham (21/07/2009 at 16:46)
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (21/07/2009 at 17:02)
A letter gets to the heart of most organisations and is what Senior Staff read and have to answer to.
Arguing with the poor bloody infantry just demoralises the people who can help you.
The head of your airline won't meet you - but a well worded thought out complaint letter will require work from someone more responsible for airline policy than the overworked desk staff who are answerable to the policy people
The Chief Constable won't meet with the public - but with a raft of complaint letters he would have to do or be seen to do something.
Gordon Brown won't meet with me... but next year there is an election and hopefully this time around the electorate will be able to put an "X" in a box which will make a real difference.
Cookie Monster (21/07/2009 at 18:24)
In fact, if you look at the poster itself, GMP's badge doesn't even appear on it. According to some relatively senior cops I know this is because they wanted nothing to do with the thing because they knew it was daft. As for the police pledge itself, well, I've read it and to be honest a lot of it doesn't make much sense. Much like much of what comes out of the government at the moment. The rest of it is stating the bleeding obvious.
I trust the cops to do the policing and the politicians should stay well out of it. I come into contact with bobbies on most days and most of them are great guys who have to put up with the kind of abuse which would drive most sane people crazy. Maybe the serial complainers about the cops on here should become special constables when they will then be in a position to make an informed comment.
salfordrat (23/07/2009 at 11:24)