The CPS get it right for a change!

[#1]

Ok, 3 guys, 1 of which is a Web Designer, so presumably getting a fairly good wage, are being charged under the 1800's Vagrancy act after being caught stealing food from a bin at Iceland.
The 3 people also live in an illegal squat.
The CPS have said that it is 'most definitely in the public interest to prosecute but wont go into more details'.
So basically this person has a paid job, but instead of paying his way, he is living the life of riley out the tax payers expense.
The 3 people seem to think they are some kind of eco warrior no doubt.
You can read the news story here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10604073/Men-charged-with-stealing-discarded-fo...
And on the radio earlier, the news reported that they are members of the below group:
http://freegan.info/
All of this 'something for nothing' nonsense is beginning to make my blood boil!

[#2]

Sorry - they have changed their minds http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25950761

Quote

The case against three men accused of stealing food from bins outside an Iceland store has been dropped by prosecutors.

[#3]

I really don`t understand the policy of supermarkets to bin good quality food, that they have stored at correct temperatures, etc., just because a date has been applied to it, that it should not be sold after that date....
I can understand the basis of the "sell by" date, and their unwillingness to sell foodstuffs that have reached/passed that date, however, common sense applied, and this food could be offered to the Salvation Army, or other responsible charities, ( late night soup kitchens etc., for the homeless )... where an " approved " food administrator has the choice of serving it within 24hours or destroying it....
The approved food administrator, would have had to pass an examination after a course, by the Food Police, to enable this idea to be workable...  but it would mean the there would be a good supply of fresh food to those charities...
If used within 24 hours of the Sell By date, the food would still be in good enough condition for consumption....

[#4]

Well you can't blame Iceland.
The 'Anarchists' would have popped around and smashed the shop up if the 3 were found guilty I'm sure!
@Shutter I do agree.
Instead of wasting the food, they should had it to local homeless shelters, or food banks.

[#5]

So many shoppers work religiously to these 'sell by' dates calculating forward and basing their purchasing decisions on what date it's likely to be used.

[#6]

Trouble is we don't know anything about these people. For all we know they could be buried under mountains of debt.
When people are desperate they'll do desperate things to survive. If that includes serving a stretch at the pleasure of her majesty which includes a roof, heating and en-suite facilities I think most would risk illegal activities to survive.
The food being binned however I don't see as an issue either way. I agree it should be donated to good causes but at the same time if its been binned there should not be a prosecution against people taking what the store has decided it does not want.

[#7]

The only thing to be wary of is 'Use by/ Consume by' dates. They may start to deteriorate and cause real problems after that date - milk for instance.
Products that have reached their 'Sell by' dates are still safe to eat but may not be in the best condition. Kit Kat for example will have absorbed moisture from the chocolate into the wafer making it soft instead of crispy. But, it is still safe!
I retired from the food manufacturing industry some 12 years ago, so I may be a little out of touch!
More info here!

[#8]

So these guys are doing a public service by 'rescuing' food that would otherwise cost money to have collected and taken to the landfill, they are reducing the amount of rotting food emitting greenhouse gases, they are reducing the weight of rubbish sent to landfill and thereby saving the council landfill tax. And the CPS think prosecuting them is in the public interest?

[#9]

Quote from: 7up

if its been binned there should not be a prosecution against people taking what the store has decided it does not want.

I think, that the legality of ownership, comes into this......
Up to the point of the food ( or any property ) leaving the premises, it still belongs to the premises/owner/business.... Once it has entered the "bin"... it then becomes the property of the "binmen"/disposal company.... so removing it without their ( binmen ) consent, is, technically, theft....
that is why, on some recycle programmes on TV a few years ago, when the presenter(s) were making use of stuff that had been thrown in skips, they always advocated asking the owner if it was ok, to remove it... ( technically, they should have asked the owner of the skip.).. but that was not mentioned, as the appropriate way to go about "recycling" that old kitchen unit.....

[#10]

So why all the fuss for recycling facilities etc when all they were doing was recycling and recycling from a bin = no criminal activity of any kind
Would the CPS rather they stole from inside the fresh produce counter, robbed someone
Honestly what are us taxpayers, funding these days ?
I mean how many starving families could be fed on the costs occurred just from this case alone ?

[#11]

You should all read the statement on Iceland's web site. Very interesting, especially regarding food waste. They were not involved (or aware) in any way.

[#12]

The BBC story has been updated. Some quotes I thought relevant:

Quote

Earlier, Iceland issued a statement to say its staff did not call the police and the store had been trying to find out why the CPS believed it was in the public interest to pursue a case. The supermarket said: "The store in question is next door to a police station. Iceland staff did not call the police, who attended on their own initiative. "Nor did we instigate the resulting prosecution, of which we had no knowledge until the media reports of it appeared yesterday evening."

Quote

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Iceland had made representations that "affected our assessment of the public interest in prosecuting". Following the case being dropped, Iceland founder and chief executive Malcolm Walker tweeted: "Delighted @cpsuk has agreed to drop the Kentish Town prosecution - though it's hardly the 'Iceland Foods case' as we knew nothing about it!"

Makes me wonder if there is some history between the men being prosecuted and the Met Police officers.

[#13]

I doubt if the case would have stood up in court. The items were perishable and of no value or they wouldn't have been dumped. The Police should never have taken action on this case.

[#14]

What also annoys me is that now they want our uneaten food in the recycling so that they can sell it off to power companies to burn to generate gas / leccy that WE are then FORCED to buy back again.
So why should unwanted food be a prosecutable offence? - The powers that be always want it in their own favour and it can't continue like this. People have to survive somehow and all the time those at the top have the attitude of "take, take, take" then we're screwed.
There has to be some give and take in society. Sorry but I disagree with people being prosecuted for taking unwanted food from waste bins outside supermarkets.

[#15]

I do agree with 7up.
However the person named is employed.  He also lives in a squat.  He is also some kind of 'eco warrior' associated with a group of 'eco warriors'.
The fact the Police arrested him and his buddies for a start, suggests they have a record, and are not suitable for a roadside caution, and then the CPS went out of their way to say they firmly believe it is in the public interest, leads me to believe that these 3 people are not actually people in need, but they are some kind of hippy with big ideas on the world that has been taking advantage for a long time.
There is a monumental difference between people in need, and people taking the mick because they feel far superior to the rest of us.