Justice on London's streets, the Jewish way

Published by TPOS on 12 January, 2010 - 22:46

With his dark-blue uniform, earpiece and walkie-talkie, Nochem Perlberger could pass for a police officer as he patrols the leafy streets of London’s Stamford Hill neighbourhood. Like an officer of the law, he responds to emergency calls, visits crime scenes and pursues suspects.

However, he is a member not of the constabulary but of the Stamford Hill Shomrim Rescue Patrol, a group of Orthodox Jewish men who, for the past two years, have been “policing” the streets of their community in Hackney.

Set up nearly two years ago, the group now has 22 patrolling members, a headquarters and even a 24-hour emergency number, staffed by six operators, which residents call to report crime. “Every house and child in the community knows this number off by heart,” said Mr Perlberger, one of the group’s committee members.

read the rest @

Submitted by Joie de Vivre on 12 January, 2010 - 23:58

So long as they work with police and stick to security it seems like a great idea, although I think it very important that even though their makeup is Jewish (which I think is fine) they are equally responsive and sensitive to their non-Jewish neighbours. It could tend to vigilantism, although I suspect strongly they are just good folk.

—
  • It can never be satisfied, the mind, never. -- Wallace Stevens
Submitted by You on 13 January, 2010 - 00:00

Joie de Vivre wrote:
It could tend to vigilantism, although I suspect strongly they are just good folk.

that is a potential long term worry.

A bigger question for me is one of enforcement - what are they rights and what are they allowed to do.

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by You on 14 January, 2010 - 02:48

"if there's trouble in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call?"

—

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

Submitted by Dawud on 14 January, 2010 - 09:21

You wrote:
"if there's trouble in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call?"

">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWc3WY3fuZU]
—

Gentleness and kindness were never a part of anything except that it made it beautiful, and harshness was never a part of anything except that it made it ugly.

Through cheating, stealing, and lying, one may get required results but finally one becomes

Post reply