I know that Sterling is suffering but surely it's not litter - yet!

I read that:

"Arthritis sufferer Stewart Smith had just left a charity shop when he was called back by two policemen, who pointed to the note and a till receipt lying on the pavement.

Stewart thought he'd put the money, part of his change from buying a T-shirt, in his back pocket, but it must have fallen out.

Thanking the officers, he retrieved the note and prepared to go about his lawful business. Not so fast, chummy.

The cops informed Stewart he had committed an offence and gave him a £50 fixed-penalty notice for littering.

...

Stewart, a former warehouse worker who has to live on disability payments because of his arthritis, was stunned. A £50 fine would eat up more than half his weekly benefit.

He tried telling them it was an honest mistake. No one in his position can afford to wander the streets throwing £10 notes away. But the ever-vigilant McPlod were having none of it.

Police in Ayr operate a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to littering. Stewart has been told that unless he pays up, he could face further action.

His solicitor is calling for the fine to be rescinded and an apology issued, describing the incident as 'a scandalous use of police resources'.

But Strathclyde constabulary is refusing to back down. No doubt the Case of the Felonious Tenner counts as another crime 'solved', another box ticked, another target achieved.

...

...nicking someone for accidentally dropping a £10 note is just the latest manifestation of our pettifogging punishment culture. The only surprise is that Stewart Smith was collared by a couple of proper, warrant card-carrying policemen. You don't often stumble across a pair of them on foot patrol. "

Yet another example of the result of Labour's obsession with box ticking in the public services. For the police that is a crime committed, solved and punished - a 100% record and so much easier than finding a burglar or mugger, and of course Stewart Smith was unlikely to fight back unlike a member of the UK's feral youth.