Am I alone in scratching my head in sheer disbelief at the small news item in the Dorset Evening Echo that the Police helicopter was called into action to deal with the theft of an EMPTY charity box-which was found yards from the premises it was taken from??? Even a full charity box would not justify such ridiculous overspending on such a distateful but minor crime. I have nothing but praise for the emergency services in general but there must be an overhaul of the system if resources are squandered on such trivial matters as this and the person responsible must be made to justify there wastefulness.
Bearing in mind the Dorset Police Authority announced on Thursday 7 February 2008 an increase of 4.95 per cent on last year’s police precept, resulting in a total council tax – for policing purposes – of £164.25 per year (an extra 15 pence per week) for an average Band D household in 2008/09. (The total budget agreed by the Dorset Police Authority is £111,791,800)
Am I alone in scratching my head in sheer disbelief at the small news item in the Dorset Evening Echo that the Police helicopter was called into action to deal with the theft of an EMPTY charity box-which was found yards from the premises it was taken from??? Even a full charity box would not justify such ridiculous overspending on such a distateful but minor crime. I have nothing but praise for the emergency services in general but there must be an overhaul of the system if resources are squandered on such trivial matters as this and the person responsible must be made to justify there wastefulness. 
