st4
Banned
Its got me raging. Alas I don't see this threading lasting too long before it gets political and gets closed.
My views on the subject are well known, I won't re write them.
My views on the subject are well known, I won't re write them.
I read it in the paper this morning. Couple of years ago my 3 year old step-son accidentally smashed a neighbour's car window ... if nobody had seen that happen would it have been correct for it to be reported as a 'crime' (genuine question)??
mattc
MB Enthusiast
If you had not of told your neighbour then yes, I guess technically it would have been a crime (the damage was accidental but the non-reporting would have made it a crime - I guess). It was an accident and I hope you cleared it up between yourselves.
Are you saying if nobody had seen it you would not have reported it
recycled
MB Enthusiast
Of course it is not a crime.
Doing 35mph in a 30 (now that is a very serious crime that can earn you a criminal record if you do not pay up or try to pervert the course of justice by lying.)
Doing 35mph in a 30 (now that is a very serious crime that can earn you a criminal record if you do not pay up or try to pervert the course of justice by lying.)
recycled
MB Enthusiast
To be honest it is not the fault the fault of the police.
The justice system and useless guidelines are to blame.Why people like me get angry with the police is that car drivers are not treated the same as pickpockets/ shoplifters when they are caught.
why not give some one doing 35 in a 30 40 warnings as well. and before some smart a**e says he could kill someone tomorrow, well burglars and shoplifters do stab and kil people as well.
so next time someone parks with his wheels across the yellow line, just give him another warning.
They want to cut crime figures. easy just switch off all the cameras. that way we can say in 2007 no one was caught for speeding. good 0 speeding in the UK.
How cool is that . Sad for the treasury though
The justice system and useless guidelines are to blame.Why people like me get angry with the police is that car drivers are not treated the same as pickpockets/ shoplifters when they are caught.
why not give some one doing 35 in a 30 40 warnings as well. and before some smart a**e says he could kill someone tomorrow, well burglars and shoplifters do stab and kil people as well.
so next time someone parks with his wheels across the yellow line, just give him another warning.
They want to cut crime figures. easy just switch off all the cameras. that way we can say in 2007 no one was caught for speeding. good 0 speeding in the UK.
How cool is that . Sad for the treasury though
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recycled
MB Enthusiast
edit double post
st4
Banned
They want to cut crime figures. easy just switch off all the cameras. that way we can say in 2007 no one was caught for speeding. good 0 speeding in the UK.
How cool is that . Sad for the treasury though
But its all about the treasury and with all the money they'd miss out on they wouldn't be able to...(I'd love to put something in but we'd be going political again)
That's the key question ... I don't know the answer!
My neighbour was actually away on holiday at the time, and nobody saw it happen. But luckily for him I'm a nice guy - taped plastic sheeting over the hole, and paid for Autoglass to replace it when he got home.
mattc
MB Enthusiast
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
First off this has been going on ever since statistics have been kept and once again we are being manipulated.
The quote I read and I think it was an actual quote from the officer concerned was relating to a car window?
He stated officers were too quick to record this as criminal damage even if there was no proof??
I think that is a fair assessment and then every one has gone ballistic?
Now first off I fully accept that figures have always been 'doctored' and let he who has not done this cast the first stone, but to get back to this quote.
Many, many moons ago I was returning to my car. It was about 8am in the morning and it had been a cold night but the sun was shining. For no reason whatsoever my front windscreen shattered. It was parked alongside a building, I was quite literally four paces from it and I can assure everyone nothing struck the windscreen. Nothing hit it and as far as I was aware there was no previous damage. I contacted my insurance company explained what happened and they made arrangements for the screen to be replaced. When the installer came out he said how it was probably the change in temperature and was not uncommon. I had NEVER experienced this before, nor have I heard of it happening to anyone else, but was it criminal damage?
What about a car that throws up a stone and breaks the window on a parked, unattended car? Is that criminal damage? This quote from the inspector merely suggested it would be prudent to only crime the damage if there was evidence to suggest an offence was committed? Is there really anything wrong with that?
Doctoring figures
How many convicted shop lifters that have been banned from specific shops have been charged with burglary if they enter those premises with the intent to steal? That would be the correct offence if tehy were caught stealing but it would play havoc with the burglary figures,
Fiddling statistics is done in every walk of life yet we pretend to be so indignant?? Who honestly believes the streets are safer today than they were ten years ago?
The examples of cooking the books is endless and no doubt HGV drivers might in the past have shone at this practise?? 
and no, I am not having a go at anyone.
Regards
Honest John
The quote I read and I think it was an actual quote from the officer concerned was relating to a car window?
He stated officers were too quick to record this as criminal damage even if there was no proof??
I think that is a fair assessment and then every one has gone ballistic?
Now first off I fully accept that figures have always been 'doctored' and let he who has not done this cast the first stone, but to get back to this quote.
Many, many moons ago I was returning to my car. It was about 8am in the morning and it had been a cold night but the sun was shining. For no reason whatsoever my front windscreen shattered. It was parked alongside a building, I was quite literally four paces from it and I can assure everyone nothing struck the windscreen. Nothing hit it and as far as I was aware there was no previous damage. I contacted my insurance company explained what happened and they made arrangements for the screen to be replaced. When the installer came out he said how it was probably the change in temperature and was not uncommon. I had NEVER experienced this before, nor have I heard of it happening to anyone else, but was it criminal damage?
What about a car that throws up a stone and breaks the window on a parked, unattended car? Is that criminal damage? This quote from the inspector merely suggested it would be prudent to only crime the damage if there was evidence to suggest an offence was committed? Is there really anything wrong with that?
Doctoring figures
How many convicted shop lifters that have been banned from specific shops have been charged with burglary if they enter those premises with the intent to steal? That would be the correct offence if tehy were caught stealing but it would play havoc with the burglary figures,
Fiddling statistics is done in every walk of life yet we pretend to be so indignant?? Who honestly believes the streets are safer today than they were ten years ago?
The examples of cooking the books is endless and no doubt HGV drivers might in the past have shone at this practise??
and no, I am not having a go at anyone.Regards
Honest John
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The examples of breaking glass you suggest must account for a very small proportion of incidents. Are we really meant to believe that the incidence of spontaneously exploding car windows is enough to distort a forces crime figures ?
st4
Banned
Broken glass is a common aspect of car crime, it accounts of thefts from cars etc. However I'd love to see how paint scrapes itself, tyres slash themselves, dents appear on the bonnets where neds have jumped on the car. Soon the cops may say your merc badge grew legs and ranaway....
As we have seen from another thread on these boards, one of us has had thousands of pounds worth of bodywork damage done through scratching of panels but from what they have posted so far, seems that plod doesn't place it all that highly on their list. How much damage would you have to have done for it to be taken seriously or perhaps I should say, who would you have to be ?
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Don't forget this inspector said 'Where there is no evidence of a crime having been committed. In a way I feel sorry for him because statistics are always rigged but all he has said is if there is no evidence of a crime then do not be too quick to record it as a crime. That is all he said, and if we were to cool down and think about it, then surely it is common sense?Paint scrapes are not broken windows; tyres slashed are not broken windows; and dents on bonnets are not broken windows. Is it right that we should get all het up when a Police Inspector says if you find a broken window then at least carry out a preliminary investigation. He NEVER said DO NOT crime broken windows, he did not say walk away. He merely said some officers are too quick to crime an action that might be accidental. Please note the word might. It would not take Sherlock Holmes to figure out a window was broken deliberately if there was evidence to support this act, but I bet we will read further posts criticising me with examples of rocks at the scene etc etc. The police inspector merely suggested they scene should be examined (not in so many words) He stated some officers were too quick to record the offence.
Who can remember my example of the sleepy Devon town that had no drug arrest (or one or two)
in a whole year? Excellent figures with great statistics that proved beyond doubt that there was no drug problem. Unfortunately a very keen young officer moved into town. He compiled a long list of numerous drug dealers and users; multiple arrests were made and the newspapers went ballistic. Major drugs busts, huge drugs epidemic, major drug problem in sleepy Devon town etc etc.The outcome was the young officer was moved and this town went back to not having a drug problem with no more arrests. That was back in the 1970's.
I am NOT suggesting figures are not rigged, I am merely saying we are being manipulated by a headline grabbing story that is misquoting someone.
Now go ahead and nit pick my post and call me argumentative.
fredfloggle
Banned
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2006
- Messages
- 1,437
Ages ago in India I had a current loop simulator stolen while I turned my back on some equipment. I was understandably slightly annoyed. I take the attitude that if were caught thieving (for example valve cores) while on site, I would be slung off directly, and I expect the same level of consideration. Anyhow back to the story - the factory manager explained at length how I was wrong to assume that the device had been stolen, and that not having seen it, I should just assume that maybe a big bird swooped out of the sky and flew off with it.
A week later a rather troubled factory manager was asking everyone on site if we had seen anyone in the equipment control room - someone had entered and stole all the HD's and processors out of the equipment , the big issue was that several thousand dollars worth of automation licenses also disappeared with the HD's.
You can guess at the joy I had in asking him if he had actually seen the incident himself, and when he replied that he hadn't , I had so much pleasure in suggesting that perhaps a big bird swooped out of the sky and flew away with the HD's and processors.
I'm prepared to bet good money that if I end up with a broken window and the CD player missing that it wasn't done by a bloody sparrow.
A week later a rather troubled factory manager was asking everyone on site if we had seen anyone in the equipment control room - someone had entered and stole all the HD's and processors out of the equipment , the big issue was that several thousand dollars worth of automation licenses also disappeared with the HD's.
You can guess at the joy I had in asking him if he had actually seen the incident himself, and when he replied that he hadn't , I had so much pleasure in suggesting that perhaps a big bird swooped out of the sky and flew away with the HD's and processors.
I'm prepared to bet good money that if I end up with a broken window and the CD player missing that it wasn't done by a bloody sparrow.
GRAV888
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2003
- Messages
- 6,324
- Location
- Rochester and Lancashire
- Car
- 2017 CLA 180 AMG in Black (mine) 2018 GLA 200 SE in Black (wifes)
No, it would have to be a bigger bird than that, say, a heron
