Bring Back the (Police) Box!

The Guardian on December 30 ran an article, "Call to bring back the police box" (echoed by similar stories in other papers) in which the writer stated "The humble-looking Tardis which aided Dr Who's intergalactic meanderings could be a solution to the police's public image, the Institute for Public Policy Research thinks. Its report also says that police stations should be made friendlier to the public, taking inspiration from the neat architecture of the Japanese police." The study, Re-inventing the Police Station, recommends the police boxes that used to dot the country, the sort of mini-office immortalised as the exterior form of the TARDIS, says the article, and that they "provide a popular way of interacting with the local police." The Metropolitan police said there were no plans to reintroduce police boxes, but it has admitted in the past that police stations need to be overhauled for the new century. (Thanks to Scott Matthewman)