The decisions taken by police forces regarding their purchase of products such as weapons like tasers and guns and pepper spray are all subject to the Home Office agreeing to such items being used. However when it comes to less critical issues, there is a great deal more flexibility. I recall when I was growing up that a family friend of my parents was a sales rep for a manufacturer of traffic cones, and he often carried around a few samples in the back of his estate car. Presumably one of his target markets would be Police Forces along with the local government agencies, I am not sure that there was such a thing as the Highways Agency at that time. In those days the idea of a plastic item seemed very sensible, however we are now facing a very different approach and it seems possible that alternatives can be found to these items although they are far from one use plastic items.

On Monday a DUP MP called Paul Girvan asked a question of the Home Office which on the face of it should be taken seriously. His question was: “To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using a non-plastic alternative to cones used by police forces.”

The answer came from Nick Hurd who is the Minister responsible for Policing who said: “Decisions around the procurement of police traffic cones is a matter for individual forces to determine. Concerns around the type of traffic cones procured, should be raised with individual forces or with the directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners.”

It does seem rather disappointing that a question of this nature should be treated as a fly that needs swatting rather than being taken seriously. If a non plastic alternative does exist then surely this is a matter which the environment department would wish to promote and the Home Office along with the Highways Agency and Local Government Department should work together to promote. Instead the Government treat this as too low down in their interests to justify any real consideration.