COMMENT A dangerous mental patient escaped from a “secure” psychiatric hospital in a busy Midland town.Police informed the public, which is precisely what we would expect of an organisation dedicated to public safety.
The snag?
Five days elapsed between the escape and the police releasing the information.
This is simply not good enough.
Twice in as many weeks, people living near St George’s Hospital, Stafford, have been exposed to risk and not even warned of the dangers.
Last week we reported how David Morgan who ran amok with a knife in a Birmingham store and is serving several life sentences, is routinely allowed on unsupervised shopping trips into Stafford.
Now we learn that on Thursday last week 26-year-old Michael Mayo, held at the hospital while awaiting trial on a wounding charge, absconded - without the drugs needed to control his condition.
He has now been recaptured.
But why was there a five-day delay in the force raising the alarm?
A police inspector says that if too much information were released, it might prejudice the case against Mayo. This beggars belief.
Supposing some unsuspecting, innocent passer-by were attacked or even killed by such an escaped patient.
Who would explain to the grieving relatives that police were more concerned about observing the small print of the law on contempt of court than with protecting the public?
A lapse of security is bad enough without adding a lapse of common sense.
Force a red card on dirty players
The Wolverhampton Sunday League has been branded the most violent in the West Midlands by Les Fox, who has quit in disgust after nearly 40 years on the league committee.
The tragedy is that some players will wear this damning condemnation as a badge of pride.
Mr Fox says some non-league players follow the example of Premiership stars.
And what a wily, vicious, diving, cheating, foul-mouthed, infantile bunch some football superstars are. If some overpaid striker can maim an opponent and then get the support of his team mates in intimidating and even assaulting the officials, is it any wonder than some non-league players think they can do the same?
What we see in Wolverhampton today is a battle between a minority of dirty players and a heroic band of officials desperately trying to keep order.
For the sake of the game at every level, the rules must be upheld. And the rotten apples who infest a few sides must be chucked out.
This article posted on August 24, 2006 at 12:10 pm.
Appalling delay to warn public
COMMENT A dangerous mental patient escaped from a “secure” psychiatric hospital in a busy Midland town.Police informed the public, which is precisely what we would expect of an organisation dedicated to public safety.
The snag?
Five days elapsed between the escape and the police releasing the information.
This is simply not good enough.
Twice in as many weeks, people living near St George’s Hospital, Stafford, have been exposed to risk and not even warned of the dangers.
Last week we reported how David Morgan who ran amok with a knife in a Birmingham store and is serving several life sentences, is routinely allowed on unsupervised shopping trips into Stafford.
Now we learn that on Thursday last week 26-year-old Michael Mayo, held at the hospital while awaiting trial on a wounding charge, absconded - without the drugs needed to control his condition.
He has now been recaptured.
But why was there a five-day delay in the force raising the alarm?
A police inspector says that if too much information were released, it might prejudice the case against Mayo. This beggars belief.
Supposing some unsuspecting, innocent passer-by were attacked or even killed by such an escaped patient.
Who would explain to the grieving relatives that police were more concerned about observing the small print of the law on contempt of court than with protecting the public?
A lapse of security is bad enough without adding a lapse of common sense.
Force a red card on dirty players
The Wolverhampton Sunday League has been branded the most violent in the West Midlands by Les Fox, who has quit in disgust after nearly 40 years on the league committee.
The tragedy is that some players will wear this damning condemnation as a badge of pride.
Mr Fox says some non-league players follow the example of Premiership stars.
And what a wily, vicious, diving, cheating, foul-mouthed, infantile bunch some football superstars are. If some overpaid striker can maim an opponent and then get the support of his team mates in intimidating and even assaulting the officials, is it any wonder than some non-league players think they can do the same?
What we see in Wolverhampton today is a battle between a minority of dirty players and a heroic band of officials desperately trying to keep order.
For the sake of the game at every level, the rules must be upheld. And the rotten apples who infest a few sides must be chucked out.
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