Rural crime "out of control"

[kenneal - lagger]

..................... Back on subject though, ............... police checkpoints regarding loads, instant fines, confiscation of licenses and vehicles to name a few. ..................

I'm not sure that travellers have licenses to confiscate, nor insurance for that matter. Most of them don't have an address to register vehicles to or if they do its often in Ireland!

[adam2]

There has been an increase in thefts around here. Heating oil and diesel fuel are the main targets, but LPG cylinders, logs and coal have also been stolen.

One local report states that heating oil thieves were observed by a neighbour who called the police. They arrived the next day to take a statement.

[BritDownUnder]

There has been an increase in thefts around here. Heating oil and diesel fuel are the main targets, but LPG cylinders, logs and coal have also been stolen.

One local report states that heating oil thieves were observed by a neighbour who called the police. They arrived the next day to take a statement.

When in Singapore a taxi driver once told me with a gleeful tone about justice in Singapore. "First we jail them, then we have the cane and then we ban them. If they are really bad we hang them." This was about foreign criminals of course. I am sure the rural lot in the UK are all locals.

Stealing logs seems to be the ultimate crime. You would think they would just cut their own. Maybe too lazy to wait for it to dry.
Sounds like the police in the UK are fairly bad at preventing crime - maybe not so bad about investigating it. Going forward I think they should probably be armed and be prepared to use force.

[clv101]

Going forward I think they should probably be armed and be prepared to use force.

Yeah, because countries with armed police forces have far lower crime rates.

[BritDownUnder]

Going forward I think they should probably be armed and be prepared to use force.

Yeah, because countries with armed police forces have far lower crime rates.

Different types of crime. More homicides certainly and probably fewer thefts, particularly in rural areas. When I was in the States in a rural area people used to joke that they left their houses unlocked just so that they could shoot the criminals. Burglaries were not common.

Seems to me the UK police are actually frightened to arrest people as they fear the criminals' response. If they were armed and the UK kept its tight gun laws what will they have to be frightened of? Does Germany or France where police are armed have lower rates of rural crime?

Here's a nice map to highlight your statement "Yeah, because countries with armed police forces have far lower crime rates."

Wikipedia map of countries with unarmed police officers (in blue just in case you didn't know).



How about you give me some stats on the lower crime rates of UK versus European countries except Norway and Iceland.

[kenneal - lagger]

The UK police are not generally armed but they can call on an armed response vehicle with a couple of arms qualified officers in it at quite short notice. That short notice can be half an hour or more in a rural county but they are there. If the police are undertaking an operation where they suspect arms might be present the ARU will go in first and clear the way.

Unless drugs are involved the rate of gun crime in the UK is very low. Most rural crime isn't armed either and involves petty theft. We have been robbed three times in nearly 40 years: a post rammer was stolen from a fence post on our drive where I had left it over night; 1000lts of gas oil was stolen from our fuel tank within an hour of it being delivered while we were out shopping; and a big 12V truck battery was stolen from our generator shed overnight.

We never locked our mobile home in the 15 years that we lived there and nothing was ever stolen from it but we do lock our new house overnight and whenever we go out. We also give our large colley dog free rein of the house when we go out and our daughter and son in law live next door so the premises are rarely completely unoccupied. Now we have a proper house we think that it makes a more attractive proposition to thrives so we take more precautions.

[UndercoverElephant]

Seems to me the UK police are actually frightened to arrest people as they fear the criminals' response. If they were armed and the UK kept its tight gun laws what will they have to be frightened of?

I don't believe that for one second. The problem isn't that they are frightened to arrest people. They are just hopelessly under-resourced, especially in rural areas.

[kenneal - lagger]

There is a marked reluctance to deal with the traveller community.

We had a remarkable change in policy around Berkshire when a number of that community killed a young police constable a year or so ago. They went in mob handed to arrest the suspects that day.

[adam2]

Travelers are now a protected species and largely beyond the law. They are considered to be an ill treated minority in need of help and support rather than being arrested. They are largely immune to laws regarding planning, shotguns, fly tipping, metal theft, abstraction of electricity and other offences.

Pikey season starts tomorrow ! The Easter holiday is favoured for illegal building operations since local authorities are closed. By the time the illegal bungalow has been built, and populated with babies and special needs children, then demolition is almost impossible.

Calling them pikeys is now considered to be a racially aggravated hate crime. And even "travellers" is considered un PC.

It needs a large and well armed force to tackle them.

[adam2]

This case is rather concerning. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-d ... e-68956503

Farmer arrested and now on bail, after shooting two burglars, one fatally. Facts don't seem to be much reported but it sounds rather like the infamous Tony Martin case.