Handbags   (The sad, the bad and the ugly. Non-productive stuff here.)

Perhaps we are becoming more influenced by the USA; the legal and suing society. It is sad that trained professionals carrying out their duty now have to consider any prosecution because they didn't treat a minor potential threat (such as smoke from a BBQ) more seriously. I am saddened by the present over-PC take on our lives. It appears that common sense is very low on the legal directed agenda. I accept that there are incidents where a better response to an incident may have saved a life, but our limited and overworked emergency services are now having to focus on very serious reported incidents such as shootings, stabbings, etc. To give you a perspective, someone I know was being severely beaten and kicked by a gang of youths (because they didn't like Indie/Goth types). His girlfriend rang 999 six times and was told that they were unable to attend as their officers were engaged with more serious incidents elsewhere. I am not blaming the police - I am just highlighting our need for the government to do something. They say thay haven't the funds, but they found billions for furlough.