While working 14+ yrs. in the Warrants Dept. Newcastle there were times I felt disgusted, and horrified, to find certain experienced Police Officers not satisfied with their good wages and conditions they deliberately cheated to create further overtime.    Because there were thousands of unexecuted warrants (unpaid fines and fail to appear warrants) in our files it wasn’t difficult for some officers to take advantage of the situation and actually pocket cash -  (see page where an officer was caught ‘red-handed’ and not even suspended – in fact no punishment was given) or take the less risky road of creating overtime.       Briefly, this is how it worked – when a ‘punter’ came to the front office pleading for time to either pay his fine or go in front of the Courts – he would be carefully manoeuvred into saying he needed time because he was going to London (or some other distant City) to look for work – he was then told they would withhold the warrant providing he immediately notified the ‘foreign force’ (London or elsewhere) where he was ‘dossing’ – the ‘foreign force’ would check the Police National Computer and find ‘live’ arrest warrants and after making an arrest they would ring Newcastle for them to arrange an escort.     Apart from unnecessary overtime for two officers, on a long return journey, there were also considerable travel costs to consider.    Naturally the ‘punter’ must have left Newcastle thinking “Newcastle cops are great guys” not suspecting the eventual arrest.

This will not be news to local M.P. Joyce Quin (then a Home Office Minister) who was fully informed of these criminal acts verbally and by letter many months ago but did nothing……this is the same Joyce Quin who did not lift a finger when I lost 3½yrs. from my pension for ‘public-spiritedly’ blowing-the-whistle that Fine Defaults Warrants were not getting collected/executed – allowing felons to get-away scot-free with their fines …..and their crimes…..losing many £ms of precious revenue.      

CAN THIS BE THE SAME JOYCE QUIN WHO SOMEHOW LOST MINISTERIAL JOBS AT THE HOME OFFICE – FOREIGN OFFICE – MIN. OF AGGR. & FOOD AND NOW EXPECTS A SUPPORTING LEG-UP TO A LUCRATIVE JOB WITH THE NORTH-EAST REGIONAL ASSEMBLY?