As a result, the public are often not reporting such crimes, assuming nothing much will be done about them.
Well, to be fair to the police, what do people honestly expect? Do they really think the police can solve every crime that comes their way? Do they really think all that's needed is a bit of hard graft and shrewd detective work?
Are they serious? If a random stranger has picked your house to burgle or your car to break into, how the heck do you identify that random stranger? Unless they've left something incriminating behind them, like their wallet or a shop receipt, where on earth do the police start looking?
If nobody has actually seen the burglar or car thief, there's not even a photo or description to go by. So you're looking for a needle in a haystack.
I'm sure the victim would love to see the offender getting his just desserts in a courtroom, but let's face it, it's unlikely.
It makes perfect sense to me that the police prioritise really serious crimes like domestic violence or fraud or arson. Anyone worried about being burgled should take out adequate insurance to cover the possibility. And get decent locks on all their doors and windows.
Luckily Jenny and I have seldom been crime victims. We've never been burgled and we've only experienced car thefts twice. And I was mugged once. We never expected the police to find the culprits. We just put it down to bad luck and moved on.
Maybe Dixon of Dock Green* was able to magically nab the villains. But that wasn't real-life, it was TV make-believe.
*Long-running police TV series from 1955 to 1976.
Back in the day, I had a hot hatchback stolen three times. And it was recovered twice. Best to buy an old banger if you don't want your car nicked.
ReplyDeleteOne of the culprits was caught, but got off on a technicality.
House burglary can understandably devastate people - I had a friend who had to sell up after being burgled.
Sx
Ms Scarlet: I think top-of-the-range and fashionable cars are very vulnerable to thieves. We have a six-year-old bottom-of-the-range Clio, hardly worth nicking.
DeleteBurglary can be absolutely shattering emotionally. It may be a minor crime police-wise, but it's not minor to the victim.
Ms Scarlet and Nick, I wouldn't be so sure.
DeleteUnless you are an organized "second hand" top of the market car dealer selling abroad, your garden gnome variety of not law abiding "criminal" most certainly would look for one of your "old banger/bottom range/hardly worth nicking" for a joy ride, get away.
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Ursula: Joy riders are certainly a possibility for nicking any old car. But I imagine serious car thieves are far more numerous.
DeleteIndian police forces are under staffed, overworked and under appreciated. They are slow but are effective except when politics interferes. By and large, they are trusted but, there are corrupt elements within it but, thankfully a very small number.
ReplyDeleteRamana: Good to know there's more trust in the Indian police than their British counterparts. As long as the bad apples don't become an orchard!
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly with Ramana
DeleteEvery big organisation has its bad apples
John: Indeed. As some wag once put it - "a good police force is one that catches more crooks than it employs"
DeleteHere, it depends on the community. Don't expect any help in a major city if you've been robbed or even raped. In a smaller suburb, it's the opposite. Police in our small city have little to do, so if there's even a car break-in, they investigate. Often, a number of crimes are committed by the same person in a small area, so it's easy to solve.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Yes, I was thinking that crime clear-up might be more likely in a small town or village because strangers are easier to spot and because people keep a close eye on their neighbours.
DeleteWhat, Nick, only "strangers" commit crimes? Fallacy.
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Ursula: I'm not saying ONLY strangers are thieves. But it's unlikely friends or family (or anyone known to you) would burgle you.
DeleteOf course "people are not reporting such crimes". Why would you? Petty is as petty does. Opportunity makes thieves.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when your husband is being stalked, and therefore you too, by implication, knives involved, the stalker breaking into your home and sleeping in MY bed, then yes, it needs reporting. As the offender was an employee at my then husband's company it was taken to the highest level. However, I do believe that sometimes you just have to let it go. What does "justice" amount to? Why does it give "satisfaction" to see a minor criminal behind bars? What we, as society, lack is a sincere desire for "rehabilitating" an offender. But then, as the Bible says, an eye for an eye. There are countries where your hand will be hacked off if you so much as steal a loaf of bread. May it bring satisfaction to the on-lookers.
Backhanders? HA. I wish I lived somewhere where they are an option.
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Ursula: I'm sorry to hear about that. I regard stalking as a very serious crime, one that causes colossal distress to the victim, sometimes for years afterwards. Stalking should always be investigated.
DeleteI agree rehabilitation should be given a much higher priority, to prevent people re-offending over and over again. I gather Norway has an excellent rehabilitation programme which has drastically cut re-offending.
Many many crimes go unreported particularly in sexual assaults and DVs as most offenders, statistically, get off and women can't go through the agony of being put on trial themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe need another process of prosecution for such cases. And yes family members commit crimes of theft due to drug use, etc. and they go unprosecuted because fo shame. My beloved aunt had to leave her life long home (97 years)forever because of petty theft and resulting terror and they got off. Lack of "evidence" as if a traumatized elderly woman was not enough.
The law is an ass. And cops' resources are limited. And DV and rape falls way below the radar.
XO
WWW
www: That's awful about your aunt, driven from her home. And awful about the "lack of evidence". But when an alleged crime has to be proved "beyond reasonable doubt" that's quite a tough task and I'm sure plenty of people are acquitted who shouldn't be. It's especially difficult with rape cases when it often just boils down to one person's word against another.
DeleteWe live in the countryside in Germany. A call to the emergency number & it took 25 minutes for the police to arrive. Burglar was well gone :-(
ReplyDeleteOle Phat Stu: That could easily happen in the UK too. Unless someone is able to catch the burglar in the act and hold them down until the police arrive, the burglar's well away.
DeleteOur little town is fairly safe, and burglaries and car thefts make the news. Often the perpetrators are caught. One of my friends moved here from California when she retired because she was single and wanted a safe community. When she did research she decided this was the place to be.
ReplyDeleteJean: Sounds like an ideal spot in terms of crime avoidance. Smart of your friend to do some relevant research before she moved.
DeleteI agree. It's sad but there have to be priorities. I still persevere in my belief that the majority of the police force is honest, but I seem to be alone.
ReplyDeleteLiz: People are very cynical about the police but I guess they do their best given the drastic underfunding and drastic shortage of police officers. We'd certainly notice a difference if there were no police at all!
DeleteI came home from work once (I had to commute 25 miles away) and my door had been broken open. my little cocker spaniel didn't meet me at the door. she was just a puppy about 6 months old. she was sheltered in a corner of the kitchen shaking. she had peed a little. and she was housebroken. I went to pick her up. thank heaven they hadn't hurt her. she was my only concern. as I looked around I realize they had taken my TV and stero (that's how long ago it was! are they even called that now?) and a strong box that belonged to my father. it had nothing of value in it. it was only one thing that reminded me of him. I was more upset that they had ruined the door. I couldn't lock it. I spent a very frightened night. I felt they were watching me and would come back. I got it fixed the next day. I didn't turn it in. I think they were kids and wanted to sell it to buy dope. now marijuana is legal in our state. I never felt safe there after that. I moved a few months later! (and it was a perfectly nice neighborhood. so yes. it does leave its mark on you. I feel sorry for the police having to deal with bad situations every day. OR night.
ReplyDeleteTammy: I don't mean to make light of crimes like burglary, which can be utterly distressing for the victims, but the chances of the police finding the burglar seem to be pretty low and not a good use of limited police resources at a time of severe underfunding.
DeleteBut I can understand your fear and insecurity after your belongings had gone (especially the strong box), the door was un-lockable, and you were afraid they might return for more. And yes, the police must get emotionally battered by having to deal with an endless array of sickening crimes.
you're totally right Nick! and other than the loss of a few things and my door needing fixed...
DeleteI didn't even report it. but it nevertheless made me feel weird. like I was being watched or something. very strange! but it wasn't worth turning it in to them. I'm just so glad they didn't harm my little Sarah!
Tammy: The feeling of being watched must be quite unnerving.
DeleteWe live in a retirement community, fairly safe. Most have the Ring app to prevent theft from doors. But, that said, you are so right.
ReplyDeleteSusan: My mum lived in a sheltered flat for a while and she was never burgled. Mind you, she was such a compulsive hoarder, a few missing items might have been an improvement!!
DeleteMy house was burgled once, in the seventies. The police came, and the most noteworthy of their report concerned my daughters' rooms, the "only rooms vandalized". I had to say No, it's how they looked this morning. And yesterday and the day before.
ReplyDeleteJoanne: That's hilarious, their thinking your daughters' rooms had been vandalised! Typical kids' bedrooms just about everywhere!
DeleteThere’s much to be said for what you say. We lived most of our lives with no break-ins the various places we live across the country. Does seem house robberies have become more common. We had three such— two were never solved, the third and last, twenty years ago, sadly was a young boy we knew. There’s increased security here now.
ReplyDeleteJoared: I'm not surprised two were never solved. A shame about the young boy who burgled you. I see people round here tightening their security too - like huge front gates with combination locks to protect their cars.
DeleteThere's a lot of crime in my neighborhood but not once have I talked to someone and had they say the person who broke into their car, broke their window, robbed the store or took the package from their porch was caught. It's hard to make someone pay for what they've done when there's no evidence they did it.
ReplyDeleteMary: Exactly. How can you make them pay when you have no idea who did it? The number of crimes that are actually solved is a tiny percentage of the overall total.
DeleteWhen I lived in a small town after my divorce, they police were happy to come check things out when I heard a noise in the middle of the night. They also came to my office to let me know a threat had been made against me by a patient. I don't think I'd get nearly that kind of service in a bigger city.
ReplyDeleteAgent: I suspect you're right. In a city, the police are so overwhelmed by a constant torrent of crime, they have to take short cuts and that means less time for the victims.
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