Dyerload offences: check on police action 'not worth while'
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0 It would not be worth while to try to stablish why the prosecution rates for such ffences as overloading lorries differed in ifferent areas, said Mr Mark Carlisle, 4inister of State at the Home Office, last leek.
He was replying to Mr Joe Ashton Labour, Bassetlaw) who had drawn ttention in the Commons (CM July 28) to he AA report that there had been more han 1100 convictions for overloading arries in Nottinghamshire, and only one in 3edfordshire. Why was it, asked Mr Ashton, that in areas where disasters occurred when there was fog on the motorways — disasters caused because lorries were overloaded — the local police did virtually nothing?
Why did they not follow the example of the Nottinghamshire police, wondered Mr Ashton, and he suggested that the Home Secretary should call for a report from the Chief Constable of that county as to why it had a higher rate of prosecutions than any other.
Mr Carlisle promised to draw Mr Ashton's comment to the attention of the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire.
But, he noted, factors differed between areas, and the decision whether to prosecute must be for the chief constable.
The prosecution rates for different offences must depend on such factors as the incidence of the offence, the competing claims for police attention and the way in which the chief officer of police had decided to deploy his resources, said Mr Carlisle.