George Armstrong

We are sorry, Colin.

Morning Ubique, You are right, as usual. The age old concept of 'Does the punishment fit the crime?' (See The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan) is at play here. Shops are commercial ventures, based on profit and loss. If the commercial imperative of making 'bad' money is not countered by a meaningful consequence for 'bad' behaviour, then we will never address this problem conclusively. That's why I'm pressing Megilleland to expand on his earlier post - is there a 'three strikes and out' consequence available in these matters?

Morning Megilleland! Please expand - looks like an interesting suggestion/point... NB In my opinion, referencing another thread 'Is it possible to post too much?', the answer is 'No'...

And here comes the tongue in cheek criticism for a good servant of our City. Humour is the preferred weapon of a bully, as it gives them the defence of "I was only joking?!?" and then the follow up 'Blame the victim for taking offence' reposte of "What's wrong with you? Can't you take a joke?!?" Did we learn nothing from Bobby's reflections in his 'Am I an online bully?' thread? By the way, I'm only joking. Kind regards to you all.

I've posted my observations on the original thread on this important topic. That is all.

And one more thing... Unfashionable as it may be to congratulate Herefordshire Council on this excellent site, I feel that we should congratulate Mr Willimott, Mr Pigrem and their Trading Standards Team for pressing on with these enquiries. Well done and keep up the good work! (I'll now await the 'pile on' for saying anything positive about the Council. Lock'n'load - Fire at will...)

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/11572114.Thousands_of_illegal_cigarettes_found_secreted_in_a_Hereford_shop/?ref=mr Latest development in this long running saga. I'm not sure the sentencing guidelines are acting as a sufficient deterrent. I know that people who smoke must, by definition, have limited regard for the health of themselves and sometimes those around them, but smoking unregulated products of zero provenance must be plumbing new depths in foolhardiness.

The trouble with this site is it's excellent when it's used as a platform for serious debate about a pressing issues in Hereford - e.g. No hot food after X o'clock, Why don't we ever see a Policeman & The Plight of Street Drinkers. If there's nothing really sparking public debate, it's boring and/or inconsequential. Once you've heard someone's opinion that the Council isn't fit for purpose, then having it reiterated on every topic gets a bit wearing. The other thing that causes reluctance to post is the inevitable 'pile on' that occurs if someone says something which isn't the current groupthink. Most people believe it's okay to 'pile on' under the veil of anonymity. Smashing - but only The Gunner had the bottle to march into Castle Greyskull to hold the local Police Inspector to account. Wasn't that interesting reading? More revealing than a garden shed full of old Hereford Times' full of regurgitated press office releases. Those flashes of inspiration are the kind of debates that keep me checking back in - in the hope that HV is back to doing what it does best. Less troll, less rant, more insightful debate.

I was pleased to hear of the Street Pastor initiative to open a shelter to deal with drunks - called a Pando - which will be opening soon. That should take some demand off the A & E Dept on weekend nights, and can therefore only be welcomed. The Pastors are medically trained so this has got to be a good thing.

I'd call this in on 101 to ask that the Safer Neighbourhood Team check it out if I were you.

That's a very good point. I understand that the Fire Service can reclaim their costs off your insurers if you crash your car. Does anyone know if the Police, Ambulance, Council, Coastguard and Mountain Rescue services do likewise?

It appears that the T4C website is down, which is a pity as I'd would have been interested in their observations on the recent policing initiatives and developments.

"This operation castlemain seems to be rumbling on longer than I thought it would ... I am only evidencing that by the hashtags on Twitter ... It already seems to have been going on for weeks! " Looks like it started rumbling in late June, was officially launched in early July, and is set to run a while yet. Despite the Nay-Sayers, some people here seem to think that it's been quite successful and in fairness, there have been no further deaths reported YET. The Street Pastors and local politicians seem to be behind it, and the Friends of a castle Green have noted the improvements. Way to go, I'm sure, but maybe the strangely named Operation Castlemain did what Hereford Voice required of it?

Once again a thread has wandered off topic. This was about policing the City Centre. Where are we up to with that?

Without sinking to the depths of further fishy puns, isn't this another example of the Hereford Voice discussions provoking activity by 'officialdom'? First we had questions about Baptist Church Drinkers - we got Op Castlemain. Then we had questions about the purveyors of duty free contraband cigarettes - we got this. The 'No Hot Food at Night' got some reasoned and informed explanation from poster(s) and consequential new applications for Late Night Refreshment application(s) etc. The issue is not (a backslapping) whether Hereford Voice 'steals a march' on the Hereford Times, but whether well-argued issues on this forum get the attention they deserve...

Again, my understanding only, but If you're talking about Bath St (main) Police Station, it's never closed - only the front counter. Ring the intercom beside the front door... That'll disturb their tea-break...

I get what you mean about the presence of Police Stations making people 'feel' safe, but bricks and mortar do not 'keep' people safe, police officers and PCSOs do. This thread is about Police Counters closing, and not Police Stations, anyway. Colin saying that Newton Farm police station hardly being manned since it opened isn't quite right either, albeit the front counter was only open on reduced hours. Hardly any members of the public ever used it. My understanding is that the Safer Neighbourhood Team(s) - Southside Cops on Twitter - work from there everyday, as does the Safer Schools/Youth Inclusion and a Firearms Enquiry Officer. Megilleland has posted elsewhere the Belmont Safer Neighbourhood Team Newsletter - that explains what they do from that building. StupidFrustration is right about the impending £29m cuts. To argue about what caused them historically or politically is a further debate, but we are where we are. What bit should the Police be cutting instead? This issue would be a most enlightening debate...

What was the price? (I'm partial to an L&B or B&H myself from time to time...)

I think that's why we need to look for a joined up solution here, Ubique. The Police pushing from one side with their Operation Castlemain, and the partner-agencies pulling from the other with a coherent outreach programme. All that matters is what works - you can forget the rest, because it doesn't work...

Funny that - because Bobby47 was complaining about just this sort of thing on the Baptist Street Drinkers forum thread just last week... Maybe Bobby47 is a 'MisterBig' in the local Constabulary.

Q. What more can the Hereford Charcoal Grill do if it wanted a later licence? A. Apply for a later licence, and in doing so explain what additional measures they would employ to support Licensing Objectives 1-3. This thread has gone about as far as it can, now. Bilbo has examined the procedures laid down by the Council and has explained them simply to everyone - thanks for that authoritative piece of work. Roger thinks the argument has been very subjectively applied - but it hasn't been tested at all recently, so his opinion is hypothetical. Colin suggests a petition, but until an actual application is made any petition is hypothetical. Stupid thinks that a relaxation will be exploited by multinational chain(s) which will wipe out the small local operator(s), which although hypothetical seems well-grounded by his clear understanding of the local late night economy. Now, to move this beyond hypothesis, a food provider needs to apply to the Council for extended hours...

Why didn't you call the Police? They're clearly keen to sort the begging problem out. You can follow what's happening with their Operation Castlemain on Twitter @HerefordCops. Polite or not, you can see that they're booking people for begging, saying "Please don't give them money in case they spend it on the wrong things." Just a thought...

Different Police Force, I think. Bob Jones was PCC for the West Midlands Police. Bill Longmore is PCC for West Mercia Police. Hereford is within the West Mercia area.

I agree, Dippy. I understand that a fair few of these unfortunate people have died already this year alone. It doesn't feel right to write them off and not at least try to help them. Mahatma Gandhi said "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats it's weakest members." And who am I to argue with that? Or maybe it's all just a bag of rats...?

Good points, we'll made, Bobby & Dippy. I just think that this thread asked for something to be done, it's being done, and we now think it's a dog, a gimmick, etc. Maybe a case of 'Piggy in the Middle'?