Do you think crime is rising?

Violent crime in England and Wales has slightly risen, new Home Office figures show.

But the statistics indicate overall crime levels have fallen in the year to April, continuing a decline that started in the early 1990s, the Home Office says .

Separate research, published at the same time, suggests that in spite of the figures most people believe crime is on the increase.

How safe do you feel? Do you think crime is on the increase or are we too worried about crime levels?

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The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.

Your reaction:

Ever since the D.S. tore up the first crime report I submitted as a young P.C. I have treated the official crime figures with the contempt they deserve. Thirty five years on they are still works of fiction, with the methodology changing due to random factors and Home Office panics. The one thing of which I am certain is that juvenile crime is effectively out of control. In 1968 it took four bits of paper to get a juvenile thief to court, in three weeks. Now it takes dozens of pages, three committees and four months to do the same thing. As for riding a cycle without lights, disorderly behaviour, etc. forget it, the juvenile justice system will not let that go anywhere near a court, and the amount of paper work is the same!
Barry P, England

My uncle, after a win on the horses, was very generous with his cash in the pub. On his way home he was mugged by some youngsters who had seen him flashing his cash. Evidence of rising youth lawlessness? Hardly. The year was 1953. People have always moaned about rising crime and there has always been some "golden age" that people have craved for. I think the main problem lies in people's tendency to believe what they read in newspapers.
Charles Moore, Scotland

I don't know about crime, but girls running off from their parents is rising. Run off, create chaos, put their parents through hell, then come back and not even one word of telling off. Perhaps if the police moved heaven and earth to solve our crime in the same way they do to find these girls who go off on their own free will and don't care at about anyone else, we might get our crime rate down. Police are spending too much time chasing the high profile media cases, and not enough on our day to day crime that ruins people's lives.
Rachel Harvey, UK

Our "vibrant night time economy", as a recent journalist called it, has a lot to do with the increase. Fleet in Hampshire has seen several large pubs open on the high street. Once a quiet town, it's not a place to be at closing time on a Friday or Saturday night any more. Violent crime has risen sharply.
PB, UK

50% of the calls to a police control room do not merit a police response Bob, UK

As a serving police officer of many years I want to put a lot of things straight: stopping cars and enforcing traffic laws is one of the best ways of catching criminals and forcing them off the road; one reason that the response times are slow to some incidents is that at least 50% of the calls to a police control room do not merit a police response and clog units down with paperwork; police do not have enough resources to investigate each minor allegation. We would need 20 times the number of officers in order to do so.
Bob, UK

If you genuinely think that crime is in decline, or even just under control, ask yourself why this 200lb male in perfect health, with martial arts training and plenty of self-confidence, will never again take his girlfriend through the town centre on a Saturday night, even in the most prosperous corner of England. Because that's me, and the town is Guildford.
Sean, UK

Crime rates are clearly rising - what is falling is the reporting of crime. I only report a crime now if I want to claim on the insurance as the last two times I did no policeman bothered to turn up (attempts to steal my car) so now I would only report a crime for the crime number for the insurance.
Richard from Cheshire, England

Where I work in Birmingham we now have regular beat police, usually armed, to try and counter the almost nightly shootings. Until recently one never saw a police officer except on match days. My car was broken into under CCTV cameras but the picture was so bad one could not read the number plate on their car, this is the first time in 25 years that the car has been damaged.
H Mactaggart, UK

The crime rate has gone up in line with the easy access of illegal drugs Ian Dunlop, UK

I moved from my home town on the west coast of Scotland just over six years ago. I recently returned to the area I lived and was shocked that friends were advising not to walk through certain areas after dark because of "junkies". In six years an area you could walk through at anytime of day without a second thought has changed dramatically to this tells me the crime rate has gone up in line with the easy access of illegal drugs.
Ian Dunlop, UK

Two police officers recently spent at least one man hour following my wife all the way home in her car so they could chastise her for not having the correct spacing between two letters on her number plate. Their major concern was that if she did not fix it then it may not be recognisable by speed cameras.

However when we were burgled, putting aside the fact I have never seen any police patrolling my area, they did not even come to our house to investigate and I had to go to the police station and insist on filing a report for my insurance claim. Their response was that there was little chance of catching anyone, and as we were insured it wasn't really a problem was it?
Lawrence, UK

I do think there's something of a crime problem in Britain, it's getting much worse, and that the inner cities are particularly badly affected. Personally, I think that the prison population is very low for a country of 58 million people. I'd be quite happy to see a couple of hundred thousand behind bars if that meant crime levels plummeted - and I'm sure it would.
Matthew, Chingford, England

I doubt very much if the crime problem will ever be solved. After all most of our politicians come from the legal profession, the one group that stands to lose out financially if crime is drastically reduced!
Peter, UK

Most burglaries, muggings, and thefts from shops and cars are committed by drug addicts. Just locking them up without trying to cure their dependency is a complete waste of money. As for zero tolerance and locking more people up for longer - doesn't seem to be doing much for America, except for those who run private prisons.
J F M, UK

Crime is not rising - I live in London and feel much safer than when I was growing up in a nice suburb 25 years ago - I'd guess because unemployment is much lower. What is happening is vile propaganda from the Sun, Mail and Express which is persuading people that they should be afraid. I don't know why they are doing it and hope they stop soon.
Simon, UK

Crime figures may be slightly down but how about the fear of crime which is greater and greater? This affects your freedom and quality of life.
Adrian, Wales

Fear of crime has more to do with media coverage than crime rates Nicholas Bannister, UK

How could any member of the public give a sensible answer? Fear of crime has been shown to be more to do with media coverage than crime rates, and none of us can have an accurate picture. I'm very much a cynic but on this issue I cannot see how anyone could try and coherently contradict the figures we are given.
Nicholas Bannister, UK

Reported crime is down because everyone knows there is no point in reporting it. My wife caught someone breaking into our car but was unable to restrain him. She had a full description of the person, date and time of the event and finger prints in the car. She reported the crime to the police but never heard a thing back.
Mike, England

Currently I live in Singapore - a country with a no-nonsense approach to dealing with offenders. Here the police are low profile. "Social responsibility" is very high on the agenda with schools and in the community. Of course there is some crime, but I feel very safe living here. Is there a cost in terms of civil liberties? I don't feel it and I can't begin to explain how good it feels not to have that constant, worrying threat, in the back of your mind, that you are about to become another Home Office statistic. I really value the approach here.
Greg, Singapore

Fear of crime is not related to the rate of crime. The chance of being a victim of violent crime is at its lowest level in quite some time. The punishments handed out are getting harsher. How ignorant must the public be to believe the opposite of all these facts. In answer to Greg - Singapore is effectively a one-party police state with a severely restricted freedom of speech, of association and of religion. And of course, in a police state the police and those who share power with them can act with impunity.
Andrew Bartlett, UK

The news on telly last night was like one of those ironic scenes from Robocop or similar where the presenter was talking about the dramatic fall of crime by a whopping 6%! I can't see that crime is falling when a young lad shoots someone in the leg after stealing cash from the Halifax, just down the road from me in Sparkhill, Birmingham.

Gang culture is rampant and my fear is that this is a lull in crime. When these kids (who enter the feeder gangs at aged 8, to then supply the main gangs) grow up, we will see an explosion in crime. Anyone with a brain knows that Blair is a highly skilled actor and that there is no sincerity with him.
Max Richards, England

Our national media lead people to believe many things about crime in the UK which simply aren't true Alan, UK

Several people have commented on the supposed leniency of our courts system. This is a myth. Research consistently shows that people not only underestimate the sentences handed out to criminals, but would also give more lenient sentence themselves than those actually handed down. Unfortunately, as these crime figures show, our national media lead people to believe many things about crime in the UK which simply aren't true.
Alan, UK

The council tax we pay towards the police went up 27% this year. Do we see 27% more police? Has the crime rate fallen? Has the detection level increased? Of course not - the police are too busy on soft targets like motorists!
Steven, UK

At the age of 78 I now feel very worried as I am now physically too weak to protect myself or my wife from any intruder or a hooligan.
Perter Gopfert, London

Crime in every country is on the rise. While some countries show certain decline this is explained by the fact that statistics can be presented to suit one's own views or to distort the actual situation for political reasons. Most certainly when visiting London, New York etc one needs to be very careful unlike here in Dubai where attacks on individuals are virtually unheard of.
Arif Sayed, Dubai, UAE

Of course its getting worse, like every public service in Britain. Public services in Britain will never get better until incompetent or lazy people get fired.
James Conway, UK

Criminals are not afraid of being caught Isaac Green, UK

Whether crime is up or down one simple fact remains, criminals are not afraid of being caught because the "punishments" they receive are so lenient as to be non-existent. Zero tolerance of all offences is the only way to combat the slide into lawlessness. Without fear of punishment the criminals will continue to laugh in our faces (and believe me they are laughing). Judges who advocate leniency should be forced to live in high crime areas and see the results of there short-sightedness.
Isaac Green, UK

Antisocial behaviour would definitely seem to be on the increase mainly due, in my opinion, to the lack of visible policing on our streets. The only view I get of the police these days is either one of a 'panda' cars tearing through the streets with sirens blaring or sat on a motorway bridge/side of a dual carriageway, manning a speed camera. Should you be unfortunate to be a victim of crime, there appears to be nothing but apathy from the police if there is the slightest hint that that case is not 'open and shut'!
G, UK

I believe that a major problem is the anti-social behaviour by youth. For some reason, these louts and yobs have nothing else to do but to hang about on street corners, causing trouble for other people. I think that we need to identify why they feel that they have nothing else to occupy their sad lives.
Peter, London, UK

I've no doubt at all that this is a safer society than it was when I was a child in the 60s. Crime is always a good stick for the media and the opposition to beat the Government with because any level of crime is too much. We need creative approaches to deal with street violence, and be willing to let the government and police experiment with different strategies to find ones that work.
Anna Langley, UK

Reported crime may have fallen, but intimidation on the streets has risen Edward, Oxford, England

Reported crime may have fallen, but intimidation on the streets has risen. The trend nowadays is for groups of under-age teenagers to patrol streets spreading fear and unease, knowing there is little the law will do about it. Maybe it's time we redefined crime and change the law so that under-age thugs can be prosecuted for causing so much social unease. And no, I'm not an old-age pensioner who thinks life was better in the good old days. I'm a young male who's tired of yobs in town making everyone's life miserable.
Edward, Oxford, England

I find it staggering the way the Government hails a tiny reduction in crime as a cause for rejoicing. I doubt the figures are reliable, either. In my experience, there is a lot of low-level crime (vandalism, harassment, threatening behaviour etc) which goes unreported, but which depreciates our quality of life over a long period. I have just moved from such a community where people almost never report such crime because of reprisals and the lack of interest from the police.
Nicholas, UK

It's interesting that the rise in crime occurs at the same time as respect for the police (and their authority) has fallen. The question people need to ask is which came first. As a retired police officer I can remember when people were willing to help the police, and didn't always harp on about their "rights" without accepting their responsibilities. Fighting crime is everybody's job, and it starts in the home. Politicians should get off the police's backs, parents should instil respect in their children, teachers should impose discipline in their class, and everybody should challenge anti-social behaviour. In this life you get what you deserve.
F. Williamson, England

Interesting to hear former policemen saying that everybody should tackle crime. Just try it and see how much support the police give you!
Alex Swanson, UK

I lived for nine years in the south of France, and suffered three burglaries and four car break-ins, as well as several attempted break ins. Most of my friends were similarly affected - one always had to be on one's guard. I have been back in the UK for six years (admittedly living in a low crime area - Cornwall) but have not suffered any attempts even though I have become complacent and often leave my car open as well as windows in my house.

It is the obsession the media have for trawling through detail to inflate a story that develops its own momentum that gives the perception of an "out of control" problem. I also have an elderly sister-in-law who is nervous about going out because she thinks there is a villain just waiting for her on every corner. The media have a lot to answer for.
Norman West, UK

I am six foot four, practise karate, run and lift weights. So you could be forgiven for asking why I sometimes feel uneasy out after dark. Not for fear of groups of youths hanging around being boisterous because I can almost certainly handle an incident should one arise. What I fear most is that some youngster who wants to cause trouble can harass me or my wife with little fear of redress.

If I take action to protect myself the police, who apparently lack the resources to deal with the yob, have more than enough resources to prosecute me for defending myself. What we need, and urgently, is a New York mayor Giuliani-style zero-tolerance policy whereby ANY offence is reported, recorded and results in major inconvenience to the offender. Stop the rot before it starts, because in many cases now it is simply too late.
Dave Tankard, UK

If I felt that judges were in touch with real people I would have less concern Jane, UK

What worries me most is not crime levels, but knowing that sentences handed out to criminals are so lenient. If crime is high, it is because criminals know that even of they are caught, the penalties are not harsh. If I felt that judges were in touch with real people I would have less concern.
Jane, UK

It annoys me to see how good we British are at complaining. It seems to be all we can do these days, so even if crime was at an all time low, the people would still be whining on about it. The sad fact is that crime will never be stamped out, no matter what party is in power.
Damon, UK

I think that the increase in crime is mainly in the 13-30 age group, and they know they can get away with it. Even if they are caught they do it again. Yes, I am frightened, for my whole family, especially my children who have been taught right from wrong and are less likely to end up as criminals. I am worried by the trend and would like to see more done for the teenagers to prevent crime.
Lyn, UK

The reason people can't accept things are getting better is simply because they aren't. I live right next to a rapid transport system, which literally stops five minutes from my house. Over the last two years I have virtually stopped using it at night because of the people who use it late at night and the amount of random violence that occurs. I would prefer to get a taxi than risk being stabbed by some drunken teenager.
Andrew, England

It is impossible to say whether or not crime is rising, given that crime figures are always, and always will be, inaccurate. No matter how many crimes are recorded, there will always be a great many more that slip through the net. One good example is the effort against drug smuggling - the police seize tonnes of drugs every year but these seizures only represent a tiny fraction of what is actually getting into the country. Crime itself may or may not be rising but crime figures always have the potential to go up because the police are barely denting actual crime.
Trevor Blayney, N Ireland

The hooligans now rule the streets Dave, UK

I believe that the anxiety and fear people feel is generated more by what is described as 'anti-social behaviour'. It is the aggressiveness, the vulgarity and the implied threat that most disturb ordinary peace-loving people. There is an air of desperation which pervades our society. We cannot rely on police to intervene and stamp out what starts off as fairly low key unacceptable behaviour. Once this sort of unacceptable behaviour goes unchecked, it escalates into serious lawlessness. The hooligans now rule the streets and the absence of authority in the shape of uniformed police officers will only worsen this spiral into anarchy.
Dave, UK

I live in Brighton and i have become increasingly reluctant to walk around the city centre after dark. I feel intimidated by the large number of groups of youths that roam the streets and don't seem to have anything better to do. Coming from a good background, I (and others in my situation) feel particularly targeted.
Ben Grist, England

I work for a private security firm who recently switched their crime pattern analysis to mimic police methods. As a rule of thumb people on our patch are 20 times safer than the general public when it comes to car crime, violent crime and burglaries. This is for one very simple reason, we unlike the police measure our response times in minutes.
Anon, UK

Crime does happen, but my perception is that it is falling Chris, Cambridge

They put our local taxes up a lot here recently, much of it to pay for more policing. However, there has been much more visible policing since then, and less antisocial behaviour. On the odd occasions I've had to call the police out in recent years - none due to violent crimes - they have been prompt, professional and helpful. Crime does happen, but my perception is that it is falling, not that the headline in the local paper every other day would reflect that. How about a little credit where it's due?
Chris, Cambridge, UK

I think like most things the media put a negative spin on the crime issue and portray a Britain ransacked by incidents. I think if the 24 hour drinking laws come into place soon that a large proportion of the chucking-out time violence can be reduced. I feel that generally there is a downward trend in the respect (or lack of it) certain sections of society pay to not only the police but other human beings as well. But hey, it could be worse, we could live in war torn central Africa and have a life expectancy of 25, so people remember what you have before you whinge.
Ben, UK

How can anyone not be worried about crime levels? Until this Government realises that we need more Jails and a firmer Justice system then it will continue to rise. The punishment of criminals is not sufficient to deter them and until it is we are doomed to anarchy.
Bob McKenzie, Wirral, UK

Crime is certainly rising where I live, and it will continue to rise until the major causal factor, drugs, are removed from the equation. Whilst I'm not in favour of legalisation per se, they should be available under supervision to those who require them. Burglaries and muggings would plummet as the need to finance the habit was removed. The Police who provide a difficult and often thankless service would have more resources to patrol the streets and make them safer. More Police on the beat, less reliance on cameras!
Flo, UK

Numerous areas are no-go areas, even in daytime Andy, Nottingham, UK

I live in my native Nottingham, where we've just been hit with the title of highest crime in Britain, per person. Numerous areas are no-go areas, even in daytime and for a full grown man, and I am armed to the teeth with stories about muggings and break-ins. Not four hours ago my dad has his work laptop stolen from his locked car boot, in a supermarket car park with security guards. It is simply becoming a country too dangerous to live in, for many.
Andy, Nottingham, UK

Since my arrival in London a year or so ago, I have had two mobile phones stolen and all of my friends have been mugged (and seriously injured) or had their homes robbed. This is simply because of a lowering of our social standards, not economic conditions.
Alex, England

This is absurd. Just because you've been a victim of crime, or someone you know has, or you've read a lurid headline, it simply does not mean that overall crime is on the increase. Your fear of crime goes up, but the level of actual crime could be doing anything. Remember there are 58 million people in this country - your experiences are a vanishingly small, almost irrelevant piece of a massive national situation. How many times do sensible people have to say "the plural of anecdote is not data" before this imaginary crime wave evaporates?
Jeremy Smith, UK

I live in Northampton. Crime, particularly violent crime seems to be on the increase. I'm sure I'm going to be accused of being racist, but Northampton is a hotbed of asylum seekers. Last year, police spent 10 months trying to prosecute me for doing 40 mph in a 30 mph zone - even though right from the outset I pointed out to them that it was a 40 mph zone. It went to court and I'm afraid it cost them a lot of money in costs. Police spend disproportionate effort on speeding offences because it is easy.
Andrew Palmer, Northants, UK

The police are not "wasting their time" dealing with motoring offences. They are right to focus on speeding because it kills so many people. Bad driving is a crime and people should be caught and punished for it just as for any other offence.
Tim, England

We can't accept things are improving, because they're not. If everyone I know that I've spoken to about this, in London and elsewhere, have all either been victims of crime or know several people who have in the last year, then it's pretty safe to say that crime is on the increase.
Hayley, UK

Certainly in my experience it is. We are lucky enough to live in a very quiet street where nothing much happens. Two months ago, in the space of a week, we had the car stereo nicked and a mountain bike stolen out of the back garden. The items can be replaced, what can't be replaced is my six year-old's feeling of security in her own home.
Louise, UK

The government will surely be pleased about figures indicating an increase in crime, since they will give it yet another excuse for removing more of our basic rights and freedoms in the name of "fighting crime".
Paul, England

The government appears intent to draw a veil over any problems with confusing statistics Daniel, UK

I don't think there are many people who would deny that social change over the last 50 years has made the UK a less safe place to live. Sadly, the government appears intent to draw a veil over any problems with confusing statistics which they use to prove whatever story they want. When will Blair take action rather than spend time devising ever more elaborate ways to conceal the truth?
Daniel, UK

Conscription would help to bring back the lack of respect and discipline. Not in the vocabulary of people today.
Barry, Cornwall/England

I have been living in the UK for 6 years as I originally come from South Africa. Crime is definitely on the up. I left SA to escape all the crime. Maybe not?
Hedley Dickson, UK

I live in a small town in Bucks. In the last ten years I have had two minor instances of petty crime against my property. This year however I have had six such instances. None of these have ever been reported as it's not worth it. The local police stations are either shut or only open for a few hours a day. The police are too busy we are told but I rarely see any signs of them so I am a little unsure as to where they are busy. I worked for 12 years for the police and whereas some employees were extremely busy and did an excellent job there were too many whose efforts seemed to centre around avoiding work.
Jez, UK

Why can't we accept that some things are improving? Tony, UK

Sadly, we can't accept any good news in this country. It always has to be bad news - or good news has to be twisted to gain political points for competitors or the media. Why can't we accept that some things are improving, but it will take a long time for really substantial change?
Tony, UK

Yes. I have lived in Leeds for five years and never had any problems. In the last year I have had a car stolen and written off, another car broken into six times and finally stolen again last night.
Jen, UK

Well no-one stole my beer at Glastonbury this year so for me crime is down 100%.
Michael, England

I live in Brixton, south London, a place with a bad reputation for drug and gang related crime. And yet in three years I have witnessed only two minor street incidents... the fancy cars on my street remain unscathed, there has only been one burglary. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it is not as bad as the papers make out.
Rupert, UK

I think that crime is rising, and that it is down to several points. Firstly, kids are allowed to roam the streets at a young age, at silly hours commit crimes and know full well they will only get a slap on the wrists for it. I heard on the TV that someone has mentioned a curfew for young kids. Bring it on! Get them off the street when they are young, and keep them at home. Secondly, the police spend far too much time on the "easy nicks".

And To Tim, England: Why don't the police arrest these bad drivers? Anything that actually involves police work, and getting back to people on the street in my area is practically non-existent!
Anthony Collins, England

The figures would be a lot worse if it wasn't for the number of people who stay indoors through fear Cath, UK/Australia

The discrepancy in opinion between tabloid and broadsheet readers is easily explained. The broadsheet readers live in safe leafy suburbs where they receive prompt police attention for the most trivial reasons. The tabloid readers live in crime-ridden areas and their concerns are ignored by Middle England and its police and politicians. The figures would be a lot worse if it wasn't for the number of people who stay indoors through fear and who have stopped calling the police because they do nothing to help.
Cath, UK/Australia

What with speed cameras everywhere and employees warming towards drug-testing at work, pretty soon we're ALL going to be criminals.
Rob, UK

Fear of crime is the correct measure of the problem. I stay out of town at night because I'm afraid of being assaulted by drunken yobbos. No crime is committed - but is this good? Far from it!
Steve, UK

What sort of message is this putting out to these offenders? Mike Asher, UK

How can we allow burglars to bring criminal and even civil charges against otherwise law-abiding citizens merely defending their property? What sort of message is this putting out to these offenders?
Mike Asher, UK

I have the impression that crime in general is on the increase. While I would like to believe the Home Office figures I am disinclined to believe the statistics - or indeed any other information - broadcast by the present UK government. I'm afraid this loss of trust is one of the damaging knock-on effects of Blair's spin, and a result of his resounding own goal in the ongoing Iraq debacle.
C. Hunter, England

Burglaries in our village are at an all-time high and our police resources at Princes Risborough have been reduced! We need more police.
B T Reeves, Buckinghamshire

How many of the MPs or the police chiefs, telling us that crime is falling have any idea what they are talking about? None, they all enjoy their six figure salaries and live on posh estates. Mr Blair if you want crime to fall then you need to pay more attention to the 12-20 year olds with nothing better to do than drink on the streets. They need an education, they need jobs and they need a future. Plan for the future, not the next election.
JhereK Hallett, UK

You think the UK has bad problems with crime, why don't you all pay a nice visit to the crime 'tackling' capital of the world - Dublin. Yes, we have 10000 heroin addicts ruling the inner city streets, epidemic levels of street crime at inner urban and suburban levels, only two police officers for the whole city centre on a Saturday night when levels of alcohol related ultra violence are at their worst and more gun related gangland killings in the past month than Manchester and London put together.
David, Ireland

People think crime is on the increase because of the way it is reported in the media Ian S, Birmingham, UK

Most people think crime is on the increase because of the way it is reported in the media. The enormity of some crimes coupled with their 24 hour coverage on the news is just making people much more aware of the things that are going on in the country, even if the number of these occurrences is reducing.
Ian S, Birmingham, UK

Labour claimed to be 'tough on the crime, tough on the causes of crime'. We have seen no evidence of that during their 6 years of power. When will voters wake up to this fact?
Jon Urwin, UK

Figures might show the drop in recorded crime, but these stats ignore the number of unreported crimes which I have little doubt went up. Maybe people just don't see the point in reporting incidents anymore.
Nick, England

We've had so much spin from this government Jus, UK

It's all rubbish information anyway to make the government look good. I'd say crime was well up if you take into account the road speed cameras and the amount of police attention on speeding! The problem is we've had so much spin from this government I just don't believe a word they say anymore.
Jus, UK

According to a report on the Today programme this morning, overall crime figures are falling. Crime involving violence, however, is increasing but this mainly involves drunken behaviour with little serious harm being caused to people. The general perception is that overall crime is increasing with this perception being felt more among readers of tabloid newspapers than broadsheet readers. This says something about the quality of the tabloid press.
John Wallace, UK

The government wants results, the tabloids want headlines, so the truth is probably halfway between. The main problem is that the police pursue minor speeding offences with absolute zeal, but do not appear to take car crime or burglary seriously, and with some courts being unduly lenient, it gives the impression that crime pays. And if the daft idea of paying young criminals £20k per year ever sees the light of day, it will!!!!
John C, Bath, England