Crime
A crime is an act that results in a victim. A crime is not a difference of opinion, belief, or lifestyle choice.
A crime is an act that results in a victim. If there is no victim, there can be no crime, just a difference of opinion, belief, or lifestyle choice. Interfering with people for having a different belief, opinion, or lifestyle choice, is a form of persecution. Persecution is a crime, because it results in a victim. Failing to understand what actually constitutes a crime and properly address real crime, sends out completely the wrong message. Getting respect from people and discouraging criminal behaviour involves getting it right and placing the appropriate emphasis in the right places! Something we have yet to learn! If we want to instil respect in young people, the law itself has to be seen to be respectable!
Although the U.K. is largely much better than many areas of the world, there are still a lot of problems with crime in our society. All too often the victims of crime are not given enough consideration, whilst the criminals get off far too lightly. In many areas people are frightened to go out at night for being intimidated by packs of disrespectful teenagers and parents are frightened to let their kids out of sight. No one's property is safe and knife culture has risen to the point where young people are regularly killed on our streets. Even though it has been happening for years, not enough has been done to prevent this. The same trend is now taking place with guns. The police are often too busy and their resources are becoming as stretched as the NHS in trying to cope. Many people feel that we could, and should, do better than we do. There are many aspects of our society that need to change in order to reduce crime, and reverse what many see as a rising trend. There are some good ideas out there, but getting the authorities to act on them is, all too often, a long way off! In the mean time, criminals run rings around our criminal justice system, as we pander to them with treatment over and above anything they deserve!
Being too soft on real crime sends out the wrong message. Giving criminals more rights and consideration than their victims, sends out the wrong message. Not dealing adequately with low level crime, such as fraud, sends out the wrong message. Criminals can get away with it, and they know it! We should be encouraging a diminishment of crime, and yet with cutbacks on police resources and misplaced emphasis due to not properly understanding what truly constitutes a crime, we are all too often doing the reverse.
Crosstalk By Taz...
Our Criminal Justice System - It's Criminal!
D.N.A. Registration Of All UK Resident Males?
If we are really serious about reducing crime in this country then this is an essential requirement. Not only will such a move reduce the incidence of sex crime, it will significantly reduce all crime, right across the board...
In the last year more than 19,000 adults and nearly 10,000 children reported being raped in England and Wales alone. Even though police have their DNA, many offenders still don't get caught and can go on to repeat offend.
(Figures from Crimewatch BBC1 14/12/15).
Crosstalk By Taz...
Time For DNA Registration Of UK Resident Males?
An Idea To Help Eliminate Vehicle Cloning
The cloning of motor vehicles currently causes many problems for the motorist and the authorities alike....
Take a life! Give a life! Death Penalty For Child And Sex Murderers?
Many people feel there should be no room in our society for people who abduct and murder children. In fact many people feel that any sort of sex crime that results in the victim being ultimately murdered should be punishable by death. Money that could be far better spent should not be wasted on keeping people that commit these sorts of crimes in expensive prison comfort. Where there is indisputable DNA and other evidence the solution should be simple and final. Many people would in fact like to see the reinstatement of the death penalty for all cold blooded and premeditated murder where the evidence is indisputable. The advantages being that it would make people think twice before committing such crimes and therefore make society a safer place and save considerable amounts of money for the taxpayer.
Crosstalk By Taz...
Capital Punishment - Should We...??? Or Shouldn't We...???
Dealing With Paedophiles
Apparently eight children a year die as a result of sexual predators, and one in nine children suffer some form of sexual or physical abuse. Listed here are a number of measures that would help to reduce these statistics by adding towards ensuring that our children are removed from the dangers of having paedophiles living within their community.
Crosstalk By Taz...
All That Glitters - The Paedophiles In Paradise
More Policemen On The Beat
Yes, we would love to see more policemen on the beat. Despite the verbal slurry emanating from the mouths of certain politicians, they are an endangered species, at least in the world that we ordinary people live in...
Low Level Fraud And Deception
It is unfortunate that some people in this world do not realise the importance of trust. They see trust in others as a means for them to acquire additional income at the expense of those that become their victims. Both individuals and companies alike are currently given a virtual license by society's failure to act sufficiently to use a range of dubious and deceitful tactics to rip people off, and they know they can get away it!
Prisons, Prisoners and Prison Sentences
Time to revise the system? Make prisons self-sustaining and prisoners earn their keep. Up prison sentences for persistent offenders to remove them from society and remove the drain they place on society. Crime costs everyone substantially. Perhaps it's about time the criminals put something back and earnt their own keep!
Double Time For The Guilty Who Plead Not Guilty?
The courts and the judicial system waste inordinate amounts of public money on cases where defendants plead not guilty when they are in fact obviously guilty. Such blatant perjury also involves a tremendous waste of people's time - police, court officials and of course the jurors who are required to attend the court for the length of the trial. To try and discourage this and minimise the wasting of time and money, it is suggested that guilty parties who plead not guilty should receive double time, thereby giving more incentive and encouragement for criminals to put their hands up. This should help to stop them from lying and taking the gamble and so save money for the courts. It is true that keeping them in prison for longer costs more but in line with getting all prisons to earn their keep and all prisoners paying their way in one form or another, it will in the end cost a lot less.
New Law Suggestion
A suggestion to implement a new law - Endangering the life of others through a reckless, or irresponsible act. Such a law can be used to levy penalties at anyone failing to stop in police car chases and similar situations where it is deemed such actions can and do lead to death or serious injury of innocent members of the public.
Is Society Too Soft?
All the time society takes a soft approach to dealing with young criminals and greed and disproportionate allocation of resource becomes more prevalent, crime will continue to go up and up.
The Law Protecting and Safe-Guarding the Moped Muggers...
Stop And Search / Scan - Knives, Guns and Young People
Not doing enough to prevent young people from carrying knives has imposed death sentences on some and life sentences on others!
Most people in our society do not want to see ordinary members of the public carrying offensive, potentially lethal, weapons on our streets. It is especially bad when those ordinary members of the public are just children. Through our inaction and inability to get the message across we are currently massively failing many young people, their friends and families. Should we and can we do more...?
Government Initiative For All Vehicle Tracking
A suggestion for the government to make it possible for every vehicle, or at least every high-value new vehicle, to be fitted with a tracker. Vehicle theft costs the country millions of pounds every year in insurance claims and police and judicial system resources. Gradually introducing a scheme to fit every vehicle with a tracking device would ultimately save the country millions of pounds in the years to come, police manhours and of course, heartbreak and inconvenience caused by others stealing your vehicle!
More Rights For Victims
People such as Tony Martin, for instance. Most people believe that if someone breaks into your home and gets shot then tough. A man should have the right to defend his home and his property and his family, just in the same way that the Government maintains the right to defend this country. What is amazing also, is that someone like Kenneth Noye is allowed to get away with stabbing an unarmed undercover policeman to death in a somewhat frenzied attack, when the policeman was posing no threat and was only in Kenneth Noye's garden, and yet, Tony Martin can be crushed by the system for simply defending himself against intruders actually inside his own home.
Less Fuss About Rights For Criminals
Don't we all get fed up with criminals going on about their rights. If you are a criminal and you do not respect the rights of others, you, likewise, do not deserve to have your own rights respected. Finish and end of it!
Crosstalk By Taz...
Human Rights - When Is It Right...?
A Call To Make All Prisons Self-Sufficient
A call to make all prisons self-sufficient and self-funding, such that all inmates are able to earn their keep. No one inside should be getting a free meal ticket at the taxpayer's expense and it is rather paradoxical that the good in our society are expected to slave away, many struggling and going short of what they need, whilst the criminal fraternity get a free and easy ride inside, being accommodated, fed and watered at the expense of the just and hard working.
A Call To Allow Prisoners Access To Good Quality Hash
All sorts of drugs end up in our prisons. Some, such as spice, are horrendously problematic, inciting all sorts of troubles for staff and prisoners alike. Natural hash, on the other hand, despite the Government's ignorance and criminal behaviour in persecuting people for smoking it, is a highly therapeutic and very social drug. It doesn't cause problems, it solves them, helping people to chill and to evolve mentally in the right areas, rather than the wrong ones. Hash is an excellent aid to personal evolution, something we could do with a bit more of in our society.
Re-localization Of Police Emergency Call Centres
A call to be connected straight to your local police station in an emergency and, therefore, be able to speak to someone who knows the area you are calling from. Also, to save time by having calling numbers logged automatically instead of relayed by the operator. At the moment, the process of calling the police in an emergency seems to be far too long winded. After calling 999, the operator asks which service, and when you ask for the police, they connect you to Scotland Yard. When someone answers at Scotland Yard more time is wasted while the operator relays the phone number you are calling from, a job that should be done automatically by now. When you are finally connected to a police officer you can then explain the problem. However, the person you are connected to is in a call centre, miles away, and does not know the area you are calling from. More time is therefore wasted while you try and explain where the problem is taking place and where it is near. The person you are talking to has to log the information and when they are satisfied, they will then have to contact your local police station to get someone to attend the problem. It would be much quicker just to be connected to your local police station, and someone who knows the area, in the first place.
Boot Camps For Persistent Young Offenders
For far too long now persistent young offenders have been getting
away with crime after crime and literally sticking their fingers up to the law and the rest of society in the process. At the moment, there seems to be nothing between a slap on the wrist (which does little to put young offenders off), and doing hard time. By the time they incur
this measure, they usually have a long string of convictions, and have been a complete pain in the arse to society. It also means that they have caused considerable misery and upset to decent members of society along the way. Boot camps are a proven way of instilling some respect and imparting a degree of education and positive conditioning, some of the concepts necessary to be a decent fit and healthy member of society. Action needs to be taken sooner with persistent offenders to recondition them and get them back into a decent groove. The thing is, boot camps along with their regime of discipline actually do seem to work and could provide the help and enlightenment that such persistent young offenders need. Let's not forget, it's not just our future that benefits greatly from a diminishment of such persistent offences, it's theirs as well!
How Low Can You Get!
Some people have sunk so low in our society, they think it's ok to con, and steal from, our elderly folk. This is a very sad state of affairs and perhaps an indictment of many things that are wrong in the way we manage our affairs!
More Community Service
It would be nice to see persistent young offenders helping society in a more productive
fashion by helping to clean up the litter from our streets, or similar, as a part of their punishment. It worked for many children at school in the past. Naughty pupils were put on playground litter duty and the playground was tidier for it. Likewise, one cannot argue that our streets don't need it. I you think there's any doubt about that, check out the waste and recycling section to see the litter problems compounded by the current refuse policies, to say nothing of your everyday litter dropped out of car windows and casually discarded by the public, as if they are living in a giant dump. Perhaps they think they are! Come to think of it, who are we to argue?
Adjusting The Balance
The way our society is currently structured it is quite apparent to many people
that, in many areas, the current balance of the equation is too far in favour of the criminal and the wrong doer. Especially
young offenders. This obviously gives out completely the wrong message. If we want our society to be a fitter and healthier
place for our children, we must act accordingly. At the moment, society gives the wrong message to too many people, who currently then
think that they can commit what crime they like and get away with it, or at least, get off relatively lightly.
C.C.T.V. For Local Streets?
An idea for local residents to be able to monitor their own streets through
strategically placed cameras that can be monitored on a normal TV or computer monitor, etc. Once the system has been developed
it will mean that residents will be able to monitor their own streets with an expanded version of neighbourhood watch. Any
resident in the street will be able to tune in and help to keep an eye on things. Such an investment would greatly reduce
crime and would therefore, in the long run, pay for itself by affording a reduction in demand on police and judicial resources
as well as a saving for residents and insurance companies.
Castration For Paedophiles And Serial Sex Offenders
As an alternative, many people feel that if paedophiles wish to remain within the community they should, along with serial sex offenders, be castrated so as to remove any uncontrollable
and potentially dangerous urges. In fact, some offenders, acknowledging that they have a problem, have requested this procedure
only to be told that the state cannot oblige them. How ridiculous is that?
Curfew For Young People
A suggestion to institute a curfew on children under the age of eighteen, at
least in problem areas, so as to get them off of the streets at night, where all too often they are the cause of intimidation and trouble.
Limit Child Congregation
A suggestion to make it illegal for young people to hang around the streets
in groups larger than three or four and to introduce a protocol for police to break up such large groups. It is often the
fact that children are in large groups that they then exhibit a 'pack animal mentality' leading them into trouble that they
would otherwise not have been caught up in. They also, at such times, often behave in an intimidating fashion towards other
citizens.
Not Enough Trained Police Officers
It's the same old story, isn't it? There just are not enough trained
police officers to attend to all the problems. So as not to be under any illusion, we are talking about considerably serious
problems such as fights, knife attacks, car thefts and violent outbursts, as well as a myriad of minor problems, that nevertheless
cause members of the public considerable inconvenience and grief, such as teenagers spraying graffiti, or
being rowdy and causing a disturbance, or perhaps intimidating people on the bus. The sad fact is that, even if you catch
them in the act and call the police, all too often you'll be told, sorry we are really busy tonight and do not have
enough officers to attend. No wonder things are getting worse. This kind of problem seems to be all too common now. This means three things. 1) A bad upbringing for the offenders resulting in a considerable lack of respect. 2) A lack of suitable consequences and consequences too weak to
put them off doing such things. 3) Not enough people available on patrol to deter or catch the people who offend. All of
these things work against us, preventing us from achieving the well ordered, safe society that the public want. It simply gives out the wrong message and does nothing to discourage people from going down the wrong road.
Abolish Traffic Wardens and Provide More Policemen and Women Instead
There are never enough policemen
and women when you need them. Why? Good question! However, we seem to have plenty of traffic wardens making people's lives
a misery. Good decent people just trying to go about their business are hassled and mugged by traffic wardens left, right
and centre. Traffic wardens are malevolent and inconsiderate. They are like heartless robots soullessly searching for people
breaking certain criteria, and whether it makes sense or not, penalizing the person regardless. Nobody likes traffic wardens.
So here it is then, let's get rid of all the traffic wardens who are sneaky, petty and spiteful, and certainly one of God's
more abominable creations, and finance some more trained police officers. More police officers on the beat would help reduce all sorts of bad behaviour, from litter dropping to nuisance kids to vehicles speeding (oh yes, they soon slow down when they see a policeman). As far as the majority of us are concerned, this
would be much more worthwhile, and lead to an instant improvement in our society and in people's quality of living. Although our local authorities may find they have a bit less of our money to waste!
Crosstalk By Taz...
The Creature
Abolish Double Jeopardy
Where the weight of evidence is insufficient to secure a prosecution, but it later becomes very evident that the person on trial was guilty of the said crime, there is no doubt that the law should permit a retrial and a further prosecution of the guilty party. The double jeopardy law, which rules out trying somebody for the same crime twice, even though it may become evident beyond possible doubt that the person was guilty, is a ridiculous piece of legislation that dates back eight hundred years. It is not appropriate to a modern, fair and efficient legal system, and obviously needs to be changed.
Law Now Amended 2003 - 2005
Just Because It Is The Law Doesn't Mean It Is Always Right!
Just because it is the law, does not mean that it is right! Listed here are some examples of the law that, at the time, people perhaps thought
were right, however, now we can patently see that they were not.
Crosstalk By Taz...
The Law - Getting It Right...???
People Do Because They Can
Let us not forget that the main reason people commit crime, is because they think they can get away with it, or get off lightly. It is a general belief of many people that, in today's society, there is far too much leniency and consideration for the criminals and not enough consideration for the victims.
Squatter's Rights - Is It Right?
Squatting and taking over someone else's property should be a criminal offence. It is obviously trespassing and a form of stealing. So why is it currently not a criminal offence? Currently, if squatters take over your house, the law says they are entitled to stay there and the police can do nothing for you. In fact, once the squatters are in, you are not even allowed into your own house. You have to follow a lengthy court process, which can take weeks or even months, and cost thousands of pounds, to get them evicted. The squatters can even change the locks, so as to even prevent you gaining access with your own keys. They can cause much inconvenience, damage and mess and this all becomes the owner's problem, simply because of the way the law currently is. The final cost to the home owner, on top of the considerable stress and inconvenience, can amount to tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees, clean up and repair costs, by the time the squatters are eventually evicted. Is this right?
Moral Framework In Education
There are two ways a human being can understand to do the right thing. One is to have a moral understanding. That is, people do the right thing because they know it is right thing and they understand it is right to do the right thing. Secondly, they do the right thing because of fear of consequence. The former is by far the best way. Moral education should be a recognised subject that can begin at school. Giving children some appreciation of the importance of behaving correctly and appropriately and showing them what it is like for victims of bad behaviour, a place where nobody want to be, but we all are at some time. The development of a respectable moral framework will help every individual and society as a whole.
Legal Representatives Guilty?
If you help to defend, assist, or protect anyone you know is guilty, you yourself are guilty of failing to help protect society from criminal behaviour. This must also apply to those who work in the legal profession. If it can be seen that legal representatives are assisting criminals to escape justice, knowing they are guilty, they are helping to encourage crime. It is one thing to represent a client, admitting they are guilty, to put forward a mitigating case perhaps. It is another altogether to try to get them off, so they can go on and commit further crimes.
Accountability In The Force
Police officers have faults. Yes, we all do. However, in positions of responsibility, one's faults can seriously impact on others, destroying lives. There are a number of instances where police officers, unable to find the actual perpetrator, under pressure from above and the press, have been known to setup others, who are not guilty of the offence, rather than admit they cannot currently solve the crime. The victims may be petty criminals, but they are not guilty of the offence they are being tried for. The common theme of such instances, is usually a complete lack of forensics, and complete reliance on suspect and unreliable witness testimony. Such cases do not meet the threshold of integrity, and yet people still end up being sentenced for murders they did not commit. Police officers, who surely must know what they are doing, are never held accountable. When such cases have been investigated, pertinent evidence has gone missing, being 'lost' or 'misplaced'. It is also not good enough that senior officers also appear to be complicit in such cases by allowing this kind of behaviour to go unchecked. The murders of the Lyn and Megan Russell and Lynette White are two such typical cases. Bad behaviour and corruption needs to be punishable, even if you are a policeman.