Britain, nation of 'passive bystanders': Study

London, Sep 2: A study has revealed that Britain is a nation of 'passive bystanders', and called for fundamental changes to policing and criminal justice to turn it around. The report, from free-market think-tank Reform, says that Britain has the most expensive criminal justice system in the world but that over-centralisation by technocrats is failing to deliver results.

According to The Independent, the study proposes more transparency and local accountability via televised community court proceedings, online offender databases, detailed crime mapping, regionalized criminal justice policies, the devolution of power to elected local justice commissioners and a National Bureau of Investigation to tackle serious nationwide crime.

The authors also called on politicians to avoid building policy around rhetoric that is perceived to be vote winning.

The research showed three-quarters of Britons believe that the police and courts are responsible for dealing with crime and anti-social behavior, compared to just 45 per cent in France and Germany, where there was greater emphasis on individual intervention.

ANI