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April 29, 2004
Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime
I don't know whether to be pleased that overall crime figures appear stable, disappointed that they haven't fallen in spite of increased expenditure, or depressed by the seemingly inexorable rise in violent crime. Notice how the Home Office tries to emphasise that most of the rise is due to an increase in reporting drink related violence and general thuggery, which rose 21%. At the same time it plays down the fact that murder and wounding rose by 13%. Meanwhile burglary, robbery and vehicle crime are falling. Which is good news, I guess, for those who'd rather be glassed by a drunken lout than have their car stereo nicked.So what does the government intend to do about the drink-related violence?
[Home Office Minister] Ms Blears said police would be carrying out sting operations to tackle shops and clubs selling to underage drinkers.
Well that's really going to do a lot. I've no idea if Barnsley is typical or not, but I know of 5 people who have been attacked on a saturday night out drinking in the town centre. And not one of them was attacked by an under-age drinker. So personally, my confidence in the likely success of such stings is not very high. If this government is serious about being tough on the causes of crime, then perhaps they should start by trying to understand just why violence is more commonplace in our society. It couldn't have anything to do with the government's failure to address the sense of social disenfranchisement that thrived under Conservative rule, and which has continued to grow in the last seven years? It is time to stop tinkering with pet schemes, and get down to the real task of reversing these social trends.
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Posted by Clive on April 29, 2004 11:26 AM in the category Old Stuff