Met Credit Card? That’ll do nicely

If enough people break a law, it won’t be enforced. This is a central principle of civil disobedience, so it’s heartening to see that the police have taken it on board.

(Well, it would be heartening if the law against credit card fraud was a civil liberties issue. Like taking photographs, for instance.)

Today’s Metro reported that so many police had misused their official credit cards that they’ve been given an amnesty. It would just be too burdensome to prosecute them.

More than 1,000 police officers who used their corporate credit cards for personal spending have been given an amnesty.
Met police chiefs decided there were so many officers guilty of abusing their American Express cards that they would not be punished. (from the Metro)

A few counter-terrorism officers have been prosecuted for flagrant misuse of their cards. Everyone else will get “training and guidance.” Even if most of these just spent money and paid it back, it still seems odd that the Met’s normal training and guidance didn’t cover fraud. Nor the idea that they aren’t above the law, just because they are police officers.

The entire UK was about to bite MP’s heads off when the Telegraph revealed their claims for bath plugs and duck islands. The media response to this issue seems remarkably permissive. No mileage in it for the Telegraph, maybe? No stick to beat the government with?

In fact, the only “fraud” “scandal” that’s upset the Daily Mail today is the claim by Leicester police that beggars aren’t really poor. They are actually begging, after they finish their day jobs, in order to refurbish their kitchens….. (I kid you not, that is the supposed “story”)

I liked one comment on the Mail story (in a standard sea of Mail-reader bile):

In the good old days, beggars only wanted money for essentials like booze and drugs. Now it seems that along with our politicians and certain members of the police farce, they are getting delusions of grandeur with new kitchens now a must have- at least for the more discerning beggar.