1, 2, 3, repeat after me: "Crime does not pay."

[Workingman]

There, that feels better, doesn't it? And in the modern world if you keep saying something it will be true.

Or maybe not.

Latest figures released by the Home Office show that crime has risen by 11% overall. As a standalone figure that is shocking enough, but within it are some real worries:

* Knife crime up 16%
* Robberies of all types up 30%
* Vehicle related theft up 12%
* Murders up 12%
* Sexual offences up 24%

Those are the most serious of crimes, so it would be reasonable to expect a similar increase in arrests and prosecutions, but no! Out of 4.6 million reported offences there were only 443.000 charges or summonses - a hit rate of only 9%.

Unfortunately there is no breakdown of the 9%, it will no doubt be an average. It could be that 80% of rapes get prosecutions but only 1% of "hate" crimes on TwitFace sort of thing. Unfortunately the figures also show that police give up on 48% of all crime if no suspect can be found.

From the outside it looks as though the police are majoring on "easy" crimes at the expense of the "serious" crimes the public want to see action against.

Sleep well.

[AliasAggers]

I think it is shocking that there seems to be much more crime nowadays, and I think that it is about time that
the powers that be did something about it. For a start, we ought to make the punishments for crime much more
severe, to act as a deterrent for anyone considering carrying out an offence. It's no good just sending offenders
to what is akin to a "holiday camp" (modern prison). The high number of ex-prisoners who re-offend is proof that
a prison sentence nowadays is not severe enough to do the job intended.

It is clearly apparent that crime today does pay.

[TheOstrich]

It is worrying, and to me, the biggest concern is the lack of police numbers, whether visible on the streets or not.

I can see looking at the town's social media Facebook page that there's a frustration with petty crime allied with a growing trend towards passive vigilantism - just naming and shaming car drivers / petty vandalism sort of thing at the moment .... but it is where this might eventually lead that bothers me.

[Suff]

Let me into a minor rant at #1 son's house in France 3weeks ago.

You told us there was a problem with knife and gun crime and we were to use our stop and search powers to get control of it. We analysed the situation and determined that 95% of all incidents were perpetrated by young black men.

So we started stopping and searching the demographics our research told us was the problem.

You told us we were a bunch of racists and we were to stop doing the searches.

Now it is your problem. Suck it up!

[Workingman]

If you go read some of the rants in the usual suspect places you will find a rather consistent and strange carry on.

Every man and his dog are having a go at the police, courts, judges, prisons and the government. The rise in crime is all their fault and they should all be hung drawn and quartered, shot, given the witch treatment and then sacked.

Who is not taking any flak? Why, the criminals, of course!

[Suff]

Who is not taking any flak? Why, the criminals, of course!

Really irritating isn't it.

[cromwell]

The other day David Gauke MP, who is apparently responsible for prisons, said that "Prisons aren't working" and that "prisoners need hope".

So we're back to the poor old crims attitude again. Judging by the rise in the number of violent offences prison certainly isn't working in that there appears to be no fear of prison amongst criminals.

The police can rightly share some of the blame, most especially the ones at the top who have led the "retreat from the streets" policy. But politicians, the legal profession and fake "charities" should carry far more blame.