The increase in crime.

[AliasAggers]

One cannot help but notice of the increase in all types of crime, and I do feel strongly that something needs to be done about it.
I understand that one of the reasons is the fact that there are now not enough policemen to give the required cover, but I do also
feel that the whole judicial system need a dramatic revamping. Here are my suggestions.....

To my mind, I feel strongly that one of the main failing of the present system is that the punishments for law-breaking are quite
inadequate. The fact that so many criminals reoffend after a prison sentence is, surely, due to the fact that life in prison is not
as unpleasant as it should be. If a stay in prison was perhaps shorter but more unpleasant, then that would most certainly deal with that aspect.

A treatment method which in my younger days was most effective was punishment by birching. I used to know two men who confided in me that they had been birched in their younger days, and they both said that they would certainly not give cause to
suffer that experience again.

What has caused us to treat criminals so leniently, when that attitude is so obviously not achieving a reduction in crime?
Is it because our politicians fear that tougher attitudes to criminals might lose them votes at an election?
Or are we turning into a nation of criminals?

[Suff]

As far as I can work out, they hide the statistics, sometimes for years, then they suddenly get it all out in one go. Then they go back to hiding stats again.

Yes crime is on the rise. But, then again, if we try and do a like for like comparison it's impossible. What was simply "groping" in the 1970's is "Serious Sexual Assault" today. How the hell do you compare figures like that??

[cromwell]

One of the reasons for the rise in violent offences is imo the lack of police in the streets. In my local force there is little pro-active policing that I can see, only reaction to crime that has already occurred. The police have virtually abandoned the streets. Maybe the criminals have twigged this. Certainly in London violent robberies such as muggings and moped robbings have started to occur in wealthy areas - because that's where people carry expensive phones and jewellery. They can mug, steal and get away before the police even know about it.

[Workingman]

The picture is very murky depending upon which media outlet's figures are being used - 13% from BBC through 19% from Sky to 22% in the Telegraph. They get even murkier if one tries to get a demographic or geographic breakdown about who is doing what and to whom.

A few examples are knife, moped robbery crimes and a whole raft of sex offences. The knife crimes in London are mainly gang related and are almost exclusively young black on young black crimes; London is also moped robbery HQ. When it comes to sex offences a large number are committed by Asian gangs on young white women/girls. That is not to say stabbings, mobile robberies and sex offences are not committed nationwide, but we need to understand that there are hot spots.

It is interesting that a conspiracy theory has arisen regading BBC's Crimewatch. It goes along the lines that this flagship programme has been dropped because the crimes it focussed on are concentrated in or by "da comuniti, innit" and so it had to go. I do not know if this is true but given the BBC's PC stance it would not be surprising.

Having said all that I still believe that the UK in general is still a safe place to go about ones dauly routine.

[Suff]

Having said all that I still believe that Parts Of the UK in general are still a safe place to go about ones dauly routine.

[Workingman]

Having said all that I still believe that Parts Of the UK in general are still a safe place to go about ones dauly routine.

I see what you did there, but I had already mentioned hot spots. The truth remains that the vast majority of us can go about our daily lives without the threat of the media's headline crimes.

I hope we are not getting back to the days of 'all males are paedophiles, there's a bogeyman round every corner, do not let your children out without armed bodyguards' and other such nonsense - the media would love that.

I agree that we could do with more police, but it might also help if we took some of the ones we do have off investigating Twittface "crimes" and put them to doing a worthwhile day job.

[AliasAggers]

None of these replies have mentioned the main feature of my posting, that I consider
that punishments for crimes are not severe enough to constitute a deterrent. What are
your views on that?

[Workingman]

None of these replies have mentioned the main feature of my posting, that I consider
that punishments for crimes are not severe enough to constitute a deterrent. What are
your views on that?

Ah, right, sorry Aggers.

I have long held the belief that sentencing is so confused that the judiciary does not really have a clue what to do. I see some sentences, especially for violence, that are so lenient as to be laughable, the next minute somebody is banged up for a decent length of time for what many of us would term a misdemeanour.

There are some crimes such as ABH, GBH, manslaughter, murder and rape etc. where there should be minimum sentencing with no parole.

[Suff]

Aggers,

Enforcement of the punishment is so lax that criminals, nowadays, believe it is just bad luck if you get caught and put away. Making the sentences more severe is one thing. Making the criminals believe that each and every time they do something wrong they will be punished is something entirely different.

I don't believe we can solve all our problems with severe punishment alone.

Certainly for murder and other very serious crimes I believe that people should forfeit their life as recompense for the life they destroyed. That, in my opinion is something which would curb the worst of the problems. If these gangs, who casually murder someone in the street with a knife, thought they would lose their own lives at the hands of the law; I believe they would tone down their behaviour. Although there would be a period of Mafia style killing of witnesses until that was sorted out too.

[cromwell]

I agree with the lack of appropriate punishment Aggers. One problem is that the prisons are running at near full capacity.
Rather than build more prisons, which are expensive to build and staff, excuses are found to avoid sending criminals to jail.