UK Police 'writing off crimes' because they are so overstretched, damning report reveals - Polidicks

[t]https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_large/public/thumbnails/image/2016/07/08/13/police-generic.jpg[/t] [QUOTE][B]Police forces are putting the public at “unacceptable risk” by failing to investigate crimes, downgrading emergency calls and letting dangerous criminals roam free in what amounts to a “national crisis”, a damning report by the police watchdog has found[/B]. A critical lack of detectives and the rationing of services in the face of increasingly tight budgets has plunged the force into a “potentially perilous” state, according to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. [B]Officers are “writing off” crimes and failing to track down tens of thousands of known suspects for offences including terrorism, rape and murder, the report reveals. [/B][/QUOTE] [URL]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-force-hmic-watchdog-overstretched-public-risk-national-crisis-government-cuts-a7606836.html[/URL]

Working in retail security this is completely true. We get people being violent, on drugs, disorderly, making death threats and more, often the same offenders over and over and the police response is always "call 101, nobody is available" then you get a reference number, they take cctv footage and you usually never hear about it again. I genuinely fear for my safety at times because it feels as though nobody will come if I need urgent help, the criminals know it too, also due to only getting slaps on the wrist by the courts or never getting dealt with at all, they're getting more brazen as time goes on. All you hear about at the moment is huge numbers of break ins and thefts from peoples homes, the crims know its too easy. This country is in trouble.

Why don't the government give them more funding? Why don't the government give the NHS more funding? Why don't the government scrap Trident and use the money to improve the country?

Can attest to this, the chinese and some craft ale shop near me got broke into, the shop next to it gets rinsed almost daily, someone whose identity is known to the police burgled my mate's bedsit along with a couple other houses and I've personally had to tell group of car thieves to fuck off twice, all of this in the last 5 weeks and none of it looked into by the police. Fucking tories man. How do they expect any small businesses to stay productive, or for there to be a healthy amount of spending by the general public if there's no assurance that the shit we have to work and pay for will be kept safe? The more I think about it the more realistic a corporate-ruled dystopia sounds

[QUOTE=Coffee;51898884]Why don't the government give them more funding? Why don't the government give the NHS more funding? Why don't the government scrap Trident and use the money to improve the country?[/QUOTE] The rich don't need police, they have bodyguards.

[QUOTE=Coffee;51898884]Why don't the government give them more funding? Why don't the government give the NHS more funding? Why don't the government scrap Trident and use the money to improve the country?[/QUOTE] Because getting rid of nuclear weapons is worse and you know they wouldn't spend the money wisely anyway.

[QUOTE=orcywoo6;51898864]Working in retail security this is completely true. We get people being violent, on drugs, disorderly, making death threats and more, often the same offenders over and over and the police response is always "call 101, nobody is available" then you get a reference number, they take cctv footage and you usually never hear about it again. I genuinely fear for my safety at times because it feels as though nobody will come if I need urgent help, the criminals know it too, also due to only getting slaps on the wrist by the courts or never getting dealt with at all, they're getting more brazen as time goes on. All you hear about at the moment is huge numbers of break ins and thefts from peoples homes, the crims know its too easy. This country is in trouble.[/QUOTE] I really don't want to start an 8 page gun debate here but it really seems like if things are [I]that bad[/I] y'all ought to be given the means and allowed to defend yourselves. If you can't count on the police you should at least be able to help yourself.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51898973]I really don't want to start an 8 page gun debate here but it really seems like if things are [I]that bad[/I] y'all ought to be given the means and allowed to defend yourselves. If you can't count on the police you should at least be able to help yourself.[/QUOTE] We literally aren't allowed anything because our laws and gov are stupid, no pepper spray, no baton, nothing. Just me and my hands. I had a guy pull a hammer out on me last a couple of years ago and almost hit me in the face with it. Ever since when people get like that I just don't get involved, its not worth my life if nobody is going to look after me.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51898973]I really don't want to start an 8 page gun debate here but it really seems like if things are [I]that bad[/I] y'all ought to be given the means and allowed to defend yourselves. If you can't count on the police you should at least be able to help yourself.[/QUOTE] Capacity for human error and gun ownership are an uncomfortable combination. In theory, they use guns only to point at aggressors and defuse violent confrontations, and shoot only if their life is in danger. In practice, they're a single bad day away from sitting in jail for emotionally motivated murder. People are not as logically trustworthy as some may think. I'd permit knives more, personally. Easy to carry and use, and equalizes most common assaults, fistfights, with mere presence. Nobody wants to get beat up, but nobody wants to get stabbed more.

[QUOTE=orcywoo6;51898981]We literally aren't allowed anything because our laws and gov are stupid, no pepper spray, no baton, nothing. Just me and my hands. I had a guy pull a hammer out on me last a couple of years ago and almost hit me in the face with it. Ever since when people get like that I just don't get involved, its not worth my life if nobody is going to look after me.[/QUOTE] Are you allowed to defend yourself if a dude pulls something on you and threatens you or multiple people? With your hands at least? I know like, ~castle defense~ isn't a thing there for when someone breaks in to your home. Really seems like all these laws are just going to bite y'all in the ass imo.

Same thing in this part of Belgium actually. The levels of crime in my hometown are through the roof and the police barely even try to look like they're even trying to solve them. My dad had to insist to the cops that he gives them the most basic information about people breaking into his house and setting his car on fire, because the police didn't even want to ask for info.

on a somewhat related note, aren't they going to downsize the army once again? they like to call it 'restructuring'

Besides the whistle-blower controversy and the fact the Gardai aren't getting the resources they deserve, I don't have much to complain when it comes to the Gardai. They're a great police force in my opinion - at-least the regular members. I have a lot of respect for them. Though that respect wouldn't carry over for a lot of the hierarchy due to the whistle-blower controversy and other issues.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51898996]Are you allowed to defend yourself if a dude pulls something on you and threatens you or multiple people? With your hands at least? I know like, ~castle defense~ isn't a thing there for when someone breaks in to your home. Really seems like all these laws are just going to bite y'all in the ass imo.[/QUOTE] Yes we are but like fuck am I going bare handed against a knife wielding person or something, I'm not suicidal. A lot of our laws just exist to seemingly protect the criminal more than anything, honest people just get screwed over.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51898996]Are you allowed to defend yourself if a dude pulls something on you and threatens you or multiple people? With your hands at least? I know like, ~castle defense~ isn't a thing there for when someone breaks in to your home. Really seems like all these laws are just going to bite y'all in the ass imo.[/QUOTE] Short answer: No. It really is stupid, you're allowed to use "reasonable force" but that is entirely up to the Judge to decide what you did was "reasonable", if they came at you with a hammer and you were say a purple belt in karate and used that to break their arm to ensure they couldn't use the hammer against you, you're the one who is going to get punished for it.

[QUOTE=elowin;51898902]The rich don't need police, they have bodyguards.[/QUOTE] But bodyguards have very little power, they can only protect the person and even then that's to a limited extent.

[QUOTE=Reagy;51899006]Short answer: No. It really is stupid, you're allowed to use "reasonable force" but that is entirely up to the Judge to decide what you did was "reasonable", if they came at you with a hammer and you were say a purple belt in karate and used that to break their arm to ensure they couldn't use the hammer against you, you're the one who is going to get punished for it.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2074077.stm"]Which leads to bizarre cases like this.[/URL]

[QUOTE=Reagy;51899006]Short answer: No. It really is stupid, you're allowed to use "reasonable force" but that is entirely up to the Judge to decide what you did was "reasonable", if they came at you with a hammer and you were say a purple belt in karate and used that to break their arm to ensure they couldn't use the hammer against you, you're the one who is going to get punished for it.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=snookypookums;51899012][URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2074077.stm"]Which leads to bizarre cases like this.[/URL][/QUOTE] How did things get so ass backwards? Why is it [I]that[/I] taboo to use self defense anyway? Why does the law favor the criminal [I]so much?[/I] If a dude broke in to my house, I would do my best to stab his ass. Never in a million years would I consider just letting him do what he wants in my house. I would stab him, he'd be carted off to a hospital, then to jail if he lived, and I doubt I'd even [I]maybe[/I] get in to trouble. I'd be more likely to be congratulated by people and the police.

So UK wants to be a nanny state but it doesn't even have enough police officers to do that correctly. Oh the irony.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51899036]How did things get so ass backwards? Why is it [I]that[/I] taboo to use self defense anyway? Why does the law favor the criminal [I]so much?[/I] If a dude broke in to my house, I would do my best to stab his ass. Never in a million years would I consider just letting him do what he wants in my house. I would stab him, he'd be carted off to a hospital, then to jail if he lived, and I doubt I'd even [I]maybe[/I] get in to trouble. I'd be more likely to be congratulated by people and the police.[/QUOTE] I honestly have no idea, something changed around the 60~70s and it flipped the coin against the person defending themselves. I do agree it is very backwards but I guess it was done intentionally to ensure people just don't outright kill their attackers, the idea to me of "reasonable force" is to disable them, not kill them. If your actions end up killing them as well then it hits this scenario where you just caused murder/manslaughter. Its an extremely grey area, I'm all for being able to disable attackers and warn off burglars but you walk a fine line legally, especially if you're a farmer and you shoot birdshot/buckshot at them as referenced above which caused one of them to die from their wounds.

[QUOTE=Nitro836;51898993]Capacity for human error and gun ownership are an uncomfortable combination. In theory, they use guns only to point at aggressors and defuse violent confrontations, and shoot only if their life is in danger. In practice, they're a single bad day away from sitting in jail for emotionally motivated murder. People are not as logically trustworthy as some may think. I'd permit knives more, personally. Easy to carry and use, and equalizes most common assaults, fistfights, with mere presence. Nobody wants to get beat up, but nobody wants to get stabbed more.[/QUOTE] Knives are a goddamn [I]terrible [/I]self-defense weapon and if you think they're easy to use I'm inclined to think you've never actually had to use a knife for anything but opening boxes Sure, they're better to have on hand than nothing, but unless you've got a healthy amount of very specific training specifically dealing with knives it's basically a throw of the dice, and you're in a pretty shitty situation if someone comes at you with anything heavy with some reach, or even another knife. There's an old saying that there are no winners in a knife fight, just a guy who's bleeding less. A knife is less of an equalizer and more of a force multiplier, and the effectiveness of a knife is still incredibly strongly affected by the physical abilities and attributes of both its user and their adversary A pistol, though? You can turn someone into a passable pistol shot over the course of an afternoon, the only thing easier to learn than a pistol is a rifle. Sure, you'll need repeated practice if you want to become something like an expert, but it takes a surprisingly small amount of practice to build up the skills for something like self-defense Knife fighting is a full blown martial art, no two ways about it. Shooting, though? Shooting's something literally anybody with a working trigger finger can pick up as a hobby

[QUOTE=Coffee;51898884]Why don't the government give them more funding? Why don't the government give the NHS more funding? Why don't the government scrap Trident and use the money to improve the country?[/QUOTE] The hilarious thing is that the Police issue is a direct consequence of Theresa May's actions in her previous role. The cuts to police funding, restructuring etc are all her work.

[QUOTE=Reagy;51899048]I honestly have no idea, something changed around the 60~70s and it flipped the coin against the person defending themselves. I do agree it is very backwards but I guess it was done intentionally to ensure people just don't outright kill their attackers, the idea to me of "reasonable force" is to disable them, not kill them. If your actions end up killing them as well then it hits this scenario where you just caused murder/manslaughter. Its an extremely grey area, I'm all for being able to disable attackers and warn off burglars but you walk a fine line legally, especially if you're a farmer and you shoot birdshot/buckshot at them as referenced above which caused one of them to die from their wounds.[/QUOTE] See, we don't consider it a grey area at all. Dude does something like break in to your house or try to rob a store at gunpoint, his life is pretty much forfeit, and you're free to shoot his ass dead. Because you can't know what the dude has on him, or what he's going to do, the go to is to assume that he's armed, dangerous, and liable to kill you or others. The only time it's gonna get you in trouble is pretty much if he was disabled and then you executed him for no reason. It's not considered murder or manslaughter. Just self defense. And if you're planning on breaking in to someone's house, you kinda have to accept there's every chance you're not coming out alive. And plenty of people post signs in their yard saying they're armed and ready to shoot you if you come in their house.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51899064]See, we don't consider it a grey area at all. Dude does something like break in to your house or try to rob a store at gunpoint, his life is pretty much forfeit, and you're free to shoot his ass dead. Because you can't know what the dude has on him, or what he's going to do, the go to is to assume that he's armed, dangerous, and liable to kill you or others. The only time it's gonna get you in trouble is pretty much if he was disabled and then you executed him for no reason. It's not considered murder or manslaughter. Just self defense. And if you're planning on breaking in to someone's house, you kinda have to accept there's every chance you're not coming out alive. And plenty of people post signs in their yard saying they're armed and ready to shoot you if you come in their house.[/QUOTE] [URL="https://usnews.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/26/15458995-minnesota-man-who-killed-teens-in-break-in-charged-with-murder"]Not to intrude on your point, but on this subject, they've also been cases like this.[/URL] I've been of the opinion that if you use force, do only so much so as to incapacitate, but any more and all bets are off. Not to mention there are no witnesses to corroborate your story, as in the above case (which I might add, is quite disturbing).

Good news for stoners atleast.

[QUOTE=orcywoo6;51899005]Yes we are but like fuck am I going bare handed against a knife wielding person or something, I'm not suicidal. A lot of our laws just exist to seemingly protect the criminal more than anything, honest people just get screwed over.[/QUOTE] If you can avoid the situation then what's the point? If you have the option of not engaging then why would you engage them even if you had a gun or whatever?

[QUOTE=Nitro836;51898993] I'd permit knives more, personally. Easy to carry and use, and equalizes most common assaults, fistfights, with mere presence. Nobody wants to get beat up, but nobody wants to get stabbed more.[/QUOTE] Fuck that. Knives are pretty much ubiquitous, if people are legally allowed to arm themselves with them for self defence, criminals will too (If not jumping the gun to guns, which are a lot more prevalent in the UK than people might think; they just go unused by crims because of the risk of heftier punishment where a bat or a knife will do the same job [intimidation] against an unarmed target) - and unless you train like fuck or wear some kind of armour you're not likely to survive a knife fight whether you win it or not.

You guys have a surveillance state and it's not being used to protect you. It should make you think.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;51898973]I really don't want to start an 8 page gun debate here but it really seems like if things are [I]that bad[/I] y'all ought to be given the means and allowed to defend yourselves. If you can't count on the police you should at least be able to help yourself.[/QUOTE] We don't need guns. We don't have the culture of paranoia that promotes gun ownership. I don't live in constant fear of being attacked or burgled even when I lived in a postcode with one of the highest rates of burglary in the country. And even if I was burgled, fucking take it, I don't wanna kill someone over some inanimate objects

In varying degrees it might be a universal problem, honestly, in my local area we're having the exact same shit go down in Australia.