article_snippet: Police have been accused of creating a ‘charter for criminals’ with a scheme that allows officers to ignore low-value offences.
article_snippet: Police have been accused of creating a ‘charter for criminals’ with a scheme that allows officers to ignore low-value offences (file picture)
article_snippet: Last night Move was roundly condemned by MPs, anti-crime campaigners and criminologists who said a scheme that allows officers to ignore low-value offences (file picture) handed offenders a ‘licence to steal’.
article_snippet: It is a charter for criminals, a licence to commit crimes. 'a charter for criminals, a licence to commit crimes could make a mint stealing items under the value of £50 and never face a courtroom.
article_snippet: Mr Williams added: ‘This anoints police the judge and jury … criminals who can be pursued and brought to justice will simply escape unpunished to go on to more serious and larger crimes.
article_snippet: David Green, criminologist and founder of think-tank Civitas, said: ‘
article_snippet: In areas where there are problems of disorder problems of disorder could end up tipping the balance in favour of the criminal element as opposed to the law-abiding.
article_snippet: A spokesman for Families Against Crime said: ‘This is a preposterous scheme
article_snippet: A spokesman said the scheme allowed officers to focus on the ‘most serious’ crimes, not those ‘highly unlikely to be detected’.
highlights_snippet: Police accused of creating a 'charter for criminals' after rolling out scheme .
  
highlights_snippet: Move is condemned by MPs, anti-crime campaigners and criminologists .