More arrogance - this time from West Yorkshire Police

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I am grateful to JuliaM for this piece about the targeting of kerb crawlers in Bradford.

A woman has told how she was left “stunned” when her boss was contacted by vice squad officers after her car was seen in Bradford’s red light area.

Anne-Marie Carroll, 45, who is a member of the Bradford Catholic Players, was on her way to the group’s rehearsal rooms in Rebecca Street, driving alone in a company car, which was noted by officers investigating kerb crawling.

A letter was then sent by the Bradford District Vice Team to the Carroll Cleaning Company in Halifax, where she works as a sales director.

Now as far as I know driving slowly around streets looking for a parking space - or just for the hell of it - isn't illegal. So what on earth do the cops think they're doing? However, even if this is a legitimate tactic, the most breathtakingly arrogant part of the story is that the police refuse to apologise to Mrs Carroll for the offence and upset they caused her!

“We make no apology for the robust way in that we tackle the issue of kerb crawling in Bradford."

Now the 'red light' part of Bradford is an area filled with old warehouses, small offices and such - including the Bradford Catholic Players' rehearsal rooms as well as small churches, a mosque, the Irish Club and various pubs. There are a thousand legitimate reasons for someone to be driving slowly along the streets there - they're dimly lit and a parking space can be hard to come by (especially one where you won't get your window put through). I wonder how many embarrassing rows, misunderstandings and divorces West Yorkshire Police have contributed to with their targeting of the wholly innocent?

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