This is the first paper in our new Rationale series to look at systemic problems in British society and potential ways they may be addressed.
The only power any government can have is the power to crack down on those it labels criminals, and when it runs out of those criminals, it creates laws to create more criminals, and once everyone is a criminal, the government has all the power, this is how a government creates a fearful society, and a fearful society is an easily managed society. – Joseph Stalin to Adolf Hitler 1933.
Executive Summary
We do not want a fearful society; we want a happy and caring society. The breakdown in trust between the Police and the public has reached epidemic proportions in recent years, and this is a complex and many faceted problem, that has roots across society, politics, the Police service and the public. The blame does not sit in any one location. However, knowing this does not help fix the problem, and as attitudes are very much entrenched and most live in silos, government, which has caused many of the issues, needs to step up, take charge, show leadership, make changes and allow both society and the Police service the space required to breath to allow both the room required to find common ground to realise they need to work together for the common good of each other. Neither can exist in isolation and the Police cannot do their job without the assistance, cooperation and full support of the public, and the public cannot feel safe and function as a society if the Police cannot do their job – the relationship MUST be symbiotic.
This paper outlines the British Democratic Alliance’s rational starter framework, open for discussion, for restoring public trust in policing and justice through the abolition of intrusive surveillance, the reinstatement of traditional policing principles, and the reform of road and traffic laws to balance freedom with personal responsibility. It rejects the notion that mass monitoring, punitive bureaucracy, or automated enforcement foster safety or decency. Instead, it calls for the re‑establishment of direct human accountability, visible police presence, and proportionate, transparent penalties that strengthen civic responsibility and mutual respect between citizens and the state. It gives the Police the opportunity to get back to traditional Policing and doing the job that the majority signed up to do – protect their communities and catch bad people.
1. Purpose
To restore balance between liberty and security, re‑establish trust between the public and police, and end the creeping surveillance culture that treats citizens as suspects rather than partners in maintaining order. We need to stop this creep of assuming everyone is guilty unless they prove otherwise.
2. Surveillance and Privacy
2.1 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
All state‑operated ANPR systems shall be banned. Use by private car parks for entry and exit management only may continue only where implied consent exists through visible signage and non‑coercive terms. Any form of data sharing between private operators and government or enforcement bodies will be prohibited. Fines for not paying parking charges shall be fixed at £30 with no admin fees. There will be no option to add such costs to financial records, there will be no option to “send in the bailiffs” and only of the person amounts fees in excess of £300 can the operator apply to a magistrate for a Courts’ Order to recover the debt via a civil recovery process and ban them from their premises.
2.2 Facial Recognition
The use of facial recognition software within the United Kingdom shall be banned outright, except for operations conducted by MI5, MI6, or Border Force exclusively at airports, ports, and points of entry or exit. Unauthorised use of such software shall constitute a serious, indictable, criminal offence carrying up to 15 years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine. It is an affront to civil liberty and dignity; in the language of British decency, it is ‘not cricket.’
2.3 CCTV and Street Surveillance
Public street surveillance cameras shall be removed, except at airports and major transport hubs where demonstrable risk to public safety exists. CCTV may only be used on private property for crime detection or deterrence, not for monitoring the public realm. All forms of tracking or behavioural analytics applied to citizens without explicit consent shall be outlawed. Any privately owned cameras found to be filming in public locations shall constitute a criminal offence. In the first instance a warning shall be given by the Police, and they must be adjusted or removed, failure to adjust or removed will be an offence with penalties ranging from 12 months’ probation to 10 years imprisonment and unlimited fines depending on the severity.
3. Policing Reform
3.1 Direct Entry Prohibition
Direct entry into the Police Force shall be abolished. All recruits must begin as Police Constables after a 12-month training period followed by a 2-year probation period and then serve a minimum of five years before possible promotion or transfer. Officers wishing for promotion to Inspector shall be required to have ten years’ service, and Chief Constables shall require twenty years’ service, having served in all intervening ranks without disciplinary record. Those wishing to become detectives shall require specialist training and a further 12-month probationary period in that role before being confirmed.
3.2 Recruitment and Re‑Deployment
A target of at least 10,000 additional Police Officers will be achieved over five years. Recruitment priority will be given to existing Community Support Officers (subject to qualification), military service leavers, and suitable civilian applicants. Approximately 6,000 officers will be redeployed to rural and village communities to restore the traditional ‘village bobby’ presence.
3.3 Community Support Officers
The role of Community Support Officer (CSO) shall be disbanded. Those meeting full police criteria shall be offered constable positions; others will be made redundant.
3.4 Police Presence and Conduct
Police officers shall return to foot patrols as the primary method of engagement. Patrol cars will be reserved for Emergency response or support duties only; excess vehicles shall be disposed of. Body armour shall be issued solely to armed response officers; ordinary officers are civil servants, not soldiers. All Police Officers shall be trained in the use of Pepper Spray, its use and deployment. Improper use will be a disciplinary offence, in exceptional cases, a criminal one. All Officers shall be issued and wear a Body Worn camera with audio recording to which they shall have no ability to switch on/off.
3.5. Victim Contact and Response
Forms shall not replace police contact. Every report of a crime shall require an officer to attend and take a formal statement in person within 24 hours. The reliance on remote call‑centres and online reporting shall end. Burglaries shall be prioritised, officers shall be dispatched immediately to secure the location for evidentiary purposes as soon as they are reported with a scene of crime officer to attend within 4 hours.
4. Roads, Vehicles, and Responsibility
4.1 Abolition of Counter‑Productive Traffic Measures
Speed bumps, humps, chicanes, and other traffic ‘calming’ devices shall be banned and removed within twelve months. These measures increase congestion, emissions, and driver frustration and have been shown to be counter‑productive.
4.2. Speed Enforcement and Sanctions
Speed cameras shall be abolished except outside schools. The penalty point system will be replaced by a graduated suspension and fine system linked to community benefit:
- First offence – 7‑day ban per 10 mph over the limit and £1,000 fine to the Local Community Fund.
• Second offence (within 12 months) – 14‑day ban per 10 mph over the limit and £2,000 fine.
• Third offence (within 12 months) – 12‑month ban and vehicle seizure. Vehicles worth £5,000 or less will be crushed; those above will be auctioned under the Proceeds of Crime, with all proceeds to the Community Fund.
No insurance policy shall indemnify bans, fines, or losses arising from these penalties. If an offender requires a vehicle for work and cannot practically perform their role using public transport, they must take unpaid leave equal to the ban period. If the vehicle is company‑owned, the employer may recover losses through civil action. Fines shall be paid directly to Local Community Funds and ring‑fenced for visible neighbourhood projects.
4.2a. Pedestrian Crossings
All Schools shall have Zebra crossings installed at either end of the school perimeter line, and where this line has a distance greater than 100m, a further crossing shall be installed equidistance between the other two. These crossings will be monitored by speed cameras in either direction, the cameras will be set at 25mph. Failure to stop will be a £500 fine. Speeding will be a 7-day ban and a £2000 tax adjustment fine for the first offence, 4-week ban and £5000 tax adjustment fine for the second offence, then a 12-month ban and a £10,000 tax adjustment fine for the 3rd offence and the seizure and destruction of the vehicle.
All other crossings, that are not traffic light controlled, will be changed to Zebra crossings and monitored by speed cameras as per school crossing, but the speed and penalties will be commensurate with the normal speeding penalties for the road type and not those outside schools.
4.3 Dangerous and Negligent Driving
- Crossing a solid white line – 12‑month ban, £2,500 fine to the Community Fund.
• Drink‑driving – 5‑year ban; vehicle crushed regardless of value.
• Rear‑end collisions – 6‑month ban plus liability for costs (insurance may cover third‑party costs).
• Using a phone without hands‑free – 12‑month ban, £1,000 fine to the Community Fund.
4.4 Speed Limits
The authority of Local and County Councils to set speed limits shall be removed.
- Built‑up areas: 25 mph (20 mph zones banned).
- Dual carriageways: 60 mph (70 mph only if fully safety barrier‑enclosed).
Motorways:
- 80 mph for cars (minimum 65 mph).
- 65 mph for vans. (1.0 – 3.9t)
- 60 mph for 4 ‑ 7.49 t vehicles.
- 60mph for Public Service Vehicles
- 55 mph for 7.5 ‑ 36 t or lighter class vehicles towing trailers.
- 50 mph for vehicle < 36.1t.
- 40 mph for special vehicles.
- Only cars may use lanes 3 and 4; vehicles over 5 t may not use lane 2 except when overtaking slow‑moving specials or farm traffic
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Driving (General)
Driving is a privilege that society affords to allow people who demonstrate they have learnt the skills and the rules required to safely drive a mechanically, electrically, or otherwise, propelled vehicle on the public roads. It is not, as many seem to claim, a human right, society does not have to let you, me or anyone else drive such devices if you flout or disobey the rules that have been put in place for the general safety of the public, thus, the BDA firmly holds the opinion that those who continually flout the rules and laws that are in place to maintain public safety must be held to account. We will remove the stupid laws that are ignored, the points system that is generally ignored, we will treat the public as adults and we will expect the public to act like adults, but those who ignore this respect we afford the public will find that the carrot will be followed that, as we note above, the big stick will swiftly follow. Examples below.
- Driving without a License: 5 years in Prison – Life ban from Driving
- Driving without Insurance: 12 Month Ban from Driving / £1000 Fine
- Failure to Stop for the Police: 3 Year Ban from Driving / £2500 Fine
- Failure to Stop for the Police resulting in an accident: 5 Years in Prison / Ban from Driving for Life
- Racing on the Public Street: 5 Years in Prison / Ban from Driving for Life
- Theft of a Motor Vehicle: 2 Years Community Order (for each vehicle) / Ban from Driving for Life
- Use of a vehicle in any Crime (Excluding any crime that carries mandatory incarceration): 2 Year Community Order for each Offence / 2 Year Driving ban for Each Offence
- Any Offence that results in a prison sentence exceeding 10 years – Automatic Lifetime ban from driving.
6. Principle
The British Democratic Alliance holds that the state exists to serve, not to watch. We will restore an adult society, trusting citizens to act responsibly, punishing only those who wilfully betray that trust. Freedom is not an indulgence; it is the foundation of civilisation.