Ranting to /dev/null

Britcrime on the rise

Oddly enough, the crime rate in London is now about seven times that of New York. Sentences are being reduced, and serious offenders (burglars, etc.) are being let off with warnings.

Weird. But where cops aren't allowed to carry guns and prisons are viewed as uncivilized, I suppose you get what you ask for. The populations of New York and London are 8 and 7 million, respectively, and while they spend comperable amounts on law enforcement, New York has 40% more cops on the beat.

Then you've got the fact that criminals seem to have more rights than victims: "There have also been numerous and well-publicized cases of people being prosecuted and jailed for defending themselves from criminal attacks. A storekeeper was knifed in the back as he tackled a gang of youths stealing wine from his Norwich store. He was arrested on two charges of assault."

Conclusions? I'd say that Rudy was right. If you want to reduce the crime rate, you probably need some kind of zero-tolerance policy, and if that means throwing thousands of miscreants in jail, so be it.