Why fight crime

when it’s easier

to give in …?

Boston Borough Council and Boston Police last week joined forces to ask us not to report perceived examples of street drinking on social media.

Quite rightly, they highlighted a recent photo on Twitter showing an apparently unconscious man on the ground and warned: “Never make an assumption that someone who is unconscious and laying (sic) down in the open is under the influence of drink. They could have hit their head and seriously injured themselves. They may have been laying (sic) out in the open all night and have hypothermia.

“Their life may be at risk. It is not appropriate and does not demonstrate community responsibility to take a photo of someone clearly in need of help and post it on social media.”

So far, so good.

But a key point about social media is that it reports what’s going on – and in the case of street drinking shows how well it is … or isn’t … being dealt with.

The montage above – from photos sent to Boston Eye last week – shows that street drinking is still clearly rife ... despite some claims to the contrary.

Last week’s Boston Borough Beano quoted Boston Community Inspector Andy Morrice saying: “We have only recently been told about a problem area near the Stump. We are having hedges removed, and replaced by flower beds, so there is no screen to hide behind, and are having a tree pruned back for the same reason.”

And whilst not reported by Worst Street for obvious reasons of shame, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee fountain in Central Park has had its upper tiers removed following persistent vandalism.

Chief Parkie, Councillor Claire Rylott, is quoted as saying: “The cost of constantly repairing it did not make economic sense in these financially straitened times.

“Because of the on-going costs and not being able to use it properly, it was agreed unanimously at a Boston in Bloom meeting to use the base as a planter.”

The fountain was supposed to be a ‘lasting legacy’ to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and part of a £10,000 garden.

In all of the above examples, the people with the responsibility to maintain our quality of life are bending the knee and giving in to criminality because it is easier than standing up and fighting.

Regular readers of our so-called local “newspapers” will note that the Co-op in West Street is a regular target for shoplifters.

We wonder if the powers that be plan to force it’s closure to reduce the level of commercial crime.

Nothing would surprise us.

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