Having lived more than half my life out of my country of birth, I view with alarm the reports of crime emanating from there. I do not know whether there is an increase in crime as a percentage against per capita, or whether it is that media has greater access to crime and is able to report it in more and different ways. What I do know is that, as an Englishman in Dubai, I look with horror at some of the crimes perpetrated in that island nation.
Some criminologists' claim that while the UK is not in the Big League when it comes to crime, it does rank very highly in the number of serious crimes solved. That may be so, but it does reflect a measure of complacency which most citizens would find hard to accept.
Numerous complaints are made by the public of police inaction against what the police consider to be petty crime. Petty, in their eyes, it may be, but any crime inflicted against a person will always be considered serious by the victim.
Unfortunately, it seems police have come to accept petty crime as part of normal life in the UK, which is sad because it encourages youth (the usual culprits) to continue with their crime sprees.
Fear
It is the little things that can make life uncomfortable and the elderly, particularly but not exclusively, afraid to go out of their homes. Not just at night -for many that has been a no-no for a number of years - but during the day as well. They remain confined to their homes, by choice, fearful of what might happen if they venture forth, even to the local shops.
Yet even those who choose to remain closeted in the home are not necessarily free from crime. There are increasing incidents reported of people entering the homes of invariably the elderly and beating them up, sometimes raping them, and certainly stealing from them; even for the paltry sums the pensioners might have salted away.
The police attitude to these crimes seems to be: "We're sorry it happened, but there's a lot of it about. So it is hard to catch the criminals." No one has said policing is easy but to virtually cave in before the first hurdle allows a clear field for the criminally intent. And it is such weakness that encourages others to follow into lawlessness.
Following the conviction in the UK on Friday of 10 teenagers for the murder of two schoolboys, a senior police officer called on parents to take more responsibility for their wards. Yet the judge, in passing sentence, specifically stated that he did not trace their actions back to their home lives.
On the contrary, he described the "brazen and shocking" attacks as being part of the gang culture that had surfaced, particularly among boys, who thought it acceptable to walk the streets with knives and other forms of weaponry. The judge also expressed concern that some of the culprits came from "decent families" - whatever his interpretation means.
I don't want people to ask of me whether UK society was completely crime-free when I lived there. Obviously not - and I certainly did not look at life through rose-tinted glasses.
Many horrible crimes took place in my youth, the ones receiving publicity at least, and in all likelihood far worse was never discovered. Nor do I want to come across as some sanctimonious old blowhard, believing things were better in my day. Nor, even, do I wish to imply that the UK is on an uncontrollable crime spree and destined for collapse.
The publicity given by the media to crime in the UK may be out of proportion to reality, but it nonetheless has intimidated many people who would otherwise have visited the country as tourists.
What was once considered a "green and pleasant land" that poets would eulogise, is now viewed by foreigners as a place to be extremely cautious of when travelling, and especially so in the big cities, which is sad.
Anyone who does wander further afield than London will discover the real delights of Britain, and that there are many small towns and villages where crimes of the sort publicised almost daily, are unheard of.
Unfortunately though, it is the rotten apples that spoil the barrel, and even if there is much good to be found among the bad, it is the bad that will get the publicity and mar reputations.
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