David Cameron’s “big society in action” answer to police budget cuts has been revealed as a plan to appeal to the public to take part in “do-it-yourself” policing ? and perhaps even go on patrol with uniformed officers.

A radical police reform white paper published by the home secretary, Theresa May, says that she wants to explore new ideas including creating a reserve army of volunteers prepared to act as community crime fighters along similar lines to fire reservists who help staff some neighbourhood fire stations. Alan Travis, The Guardian.

That’s vigilante policing by another name what next lynch mobs?