The current spate of UK knifings, shootings, acid throwings, muggings, moped crime, and general criminality, is put down to the fact that these ne'er-do-well scumbags feel they have 'nothing to lose'.
London (and elsewhere) is awash with hoodie and balaclava wearing, drugged-up, gangs, who commit daringly blatant crimes in the knowledge that there are no police on the streets, and therefore little chance of getting caught. If the office-bound police can be at all bothered to follow-up a serious crime, it would only be by watching CCTV coverage. Most active cops are out catching speeding motorists instead.
Here in France, I haven't seen a gendarme for years.
It is no secret that the 'one parent family' is fuelling gang culture. With no father figure at home, the gang becomes 'male family'. Drug dealing brings easy money, and stolen high-end cars make life bearable. Why stack shelves at Tesco for a paltry minimum wage, when you can make thousands by selling coke or grass; and hang around with your mates.
Even when caught, the young criminals are given a small fine, and told not to do it again. Some bloody hope.
So, what's the solution? They could always build more jails, re-introduce 'National Service', or even start rubbish-clearing chain gangs.
Whatever they do, they'll have to do it pretty damn quick, because it's getting seriously out of hand.
I hadn't realised that it was that bad in the U.K.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably worse than I've described it.
DeleteRead my post Susan. I wrote about this on Wednesday. It gives a full description of how bad it is.
DeleteRachel - that is shocking - it was only today reading "A Weaver of Grass" that I discovered the problems with M & S. I haven't been back to the U.K. since 1987 and am of two minds as to whether I want to. On the one hand it would be good to catch up with friends and family living there but on the other things seems to have changed so much.
DeleteI wrote about shopping and the 21st Century high street on Sunday! It is very different here now to 1987.
DeleteAn Australian commercial television crew in London were mugged while filming to camera and their equipment stolen. I've always felt safe in London, except on the The Tube where people can have the most terrible 'don't even think about speaking to me', face. It actually feels quite hostile.
ReplyDeleteYes, I saw about the Aussie TV crew. Nothing is safe any more.
DeleteYes. "Nothing to do" "Nothing to lose"
ReplyDeleteInsignificant fines, community service, tags, suspended sentence; combined with little employment opportunity except minimum-wage drudgery.
It won't get any better until there's some sort of meaningful punishment handed down.
I think some new type of 'National Service' could be introduced. Now that discipline has almost been banned in schools, it maybe could turn their lives around.
DeleteSuch depressing reading Cro as it is so true. The justice system is not helping matters either. Just last week in a local court a youth was let off with a slapped wrist for stabbing another youth who had verbally abused him. There's truly no hope for us.
ReplyDeleteYes, our Judges need to toughen up too. The problem is, there are not enough prisons; that's why they no longer prosecute shoplifters.
DeleteWhen you say "our judges and prisons" I presume you are referring to France?
DeleteThe problem with them going to prison here is that they tend to end up in a gang.
DeleteThe whole piece is about the UK. It's probably even worse in certain parts of France; which is why I try not to read about it.
DeleteSusan, it's not so much, as you say, that "they tend to end up in a gang". That's unlikely. Bear with me for a moment. Only last night the Angel and I had a discussion (in the context of ethics, morals, the ten commandments - yes, I know, it's amazing what we talk about over a bowl of pasta) about the concept of "punishment". He dryly remarked, linking in with what you said, that the more people get locked up (for relatively petty crime) the more they learn the "trade" and its tricks, all whilst inside. And it's true.
DeleteAs society goes and what it aims to achieve, it's complicated. Unlike Cro I don't think more prisons should be built. More futures should be built. And boot camp is, in my opinion, not the way to go about it.
U
Prisons are filled with failed criminals, if they learn from each other they'll probably continue to be failures. The criminals you need to fear are the ones who are NEVER caught.
DeleteRemoving them from the streets to prison for a long period would show them that in fact they have plenty to lose. We need more police, more prisons and harsher sentences. Equally we need opportunities for the scroats to earn a decent wage doing real jobs instead. The system is comletely broken and it will, as you say, only get worse. As long as they just shoot or stab each other I'm not too bothered but when normal, working, tax paying people get hurt it's very worrying.
ReplyDeleteI somehow think that these people will not be the ones filling all the vacancies for picking leeks in Lincolnshire after Brexit.
BTW, we went past an empty and abandoned "Hotel Cro Magnon" in the hills above the Dordogne last week. A nice little renovation project I thought!
I agree with you 100%. As for the hotel; I believe it was the Woolly Mammoth Bacon for breakfast that put them off.
DeleteMuch to consider in this post. How is it there are so many ne'er-do-well scumbags with 'nothing to lose' in the UK today?
ReplyDeleteAlphie
Personally I blame the education system. Teachers spend all their time simply trying to keep control; and usually failing.
DeleteGiving the contracts to run prisons to private companies like G4 (who have behaved like criminals themselves in the recent past) does not instil any respect for the law in the people who break it. Imagine what it would be like if traffic enforcement and speeding fines were under the control of a private company with shareholders. They would certainly not make the roads any safer.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not, but they'd certainly make plenty of dosh!
DeleteNews is bad all over.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to have been particularly bad since the beginning of 2018.
Delete