I cant see me ever going back to this !!

[Suenneil]

Originally Posted by SunnySpain

My point exactly and whats more it serves its purpose - to SELL newspapers

As does gossip about the Beckham's, Peter Andre or Susan Boyle


An interesting question however and one that I feel sure Sue will be interested in might be - what do expats think about the reportedly large numbers of high profile criminals living on the Costa's ?

As apparently there is going to be another "most wanted" list published in the near future and I think they said it would actually be focusing on the CDS


Dave

In a lot of ways Dave this "most wanted" campaign makes sense .... you mention large numbers of high profile criminals on the costa - but I suppose with a relatively small expat community the number of expat criminals in the midst constitutes a "high" proportion. However, I feel certain that the vast majority of high profile criminals from the UK are still in the UK .....

Being able to target the ones that are here works I suppose because its a smaller pond to be looking into ....

Any campaign that targets catching dangerous or high profile criminals, irrespective of where they reside, has to be a good thing.

I havent watched Crimewatch or similar programmes for years - but I guess each week they have a new list of those they want to apprehend - most of them dangerous to others, posing a high risk - and most likely still in the UK.

The campaign they have here is just another weapon in their armoury for tracking these people down .... and I applaud that.

Sue

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by Suenneil

omes out of SA Im sure they have a point with the severity of certain violent crimes. However, a violent crime is violent crime and from a statistical point of view Im assuming some perameters were put in place to obtain the figures .... although even these may not be strictly correct!

At the end of the day it is just another indication as to how the UK is perceived - and the reality of life for a lot of people living there .... which is the real shame.

Fair enough, a violent crime is a violent crime ..... but any way you look at it the two scenarios I described to you are vastly different.

Tell you what ...... issue you with a challenge ....... post this in the SA section and tell them that crime in the UK is worse than in South Africa, and see what you come up with. Bit of research?

[Suenneil]

Originally Posted by Stravinsky

Fair enough, a violent crime is a violent crime ..... but any way you look at it the two scenarios I described to you are vastly different.

Tell you what ...... issue you with a challenge ....... post this in the SA section and tell them that crime in the UK is worse than in South Africa, and see what you come up with. Bit of research?

lol .... dont tempt me - I enjoy researching! ..... I dont disagree with the point you were originally making Strav - and neither do I dispute that serious / violent crime in SA is probably a lot higher per capita than in the UK .... I havent re read the article, but may do later but Im sure some of the stats were based on number of crimes to population numbers. Also "serious crime" should be divided into certain levels of seriousness ... for example Murder should sit seperately to other violent crime (GBH / Assault with intent etc) to make the figures more comparible.

If you seperate the levels of "seriousness" as applied in Courts/Legal Terms then perhaps we would have a much clearer picture - and quite possible a very different outcome in terms of where the most violent Country is !

[crookesey]

Originally Posted by Stravinsky

I think we may need to put things into a little perspective here

A violent crime in the UK generally may be getting the crap kicked out of you on a Saturday night when you've been down the pub and drunk too much (although of course there are more serious crimes).

A violent crime in South Africa is more likely to be having your head blown off on your drive outside your house all for the sake of a mobile phone, or having your house broken into and seeing your wife and daughter gang raped in front of you just before you are stabbed to death.

Having had a fair amount of exposure to stories of SA life in the past, although the figures may or may not be right, I dont think you can really compare crime in SA to crime in the UK

Well Strav, in the past week there have been three seperate shooting incidents back here in Sheffield. Knife and gun murders are now common place, there are plenty of no go areas that used to be safe places.

The sink council estate 'post code' gangs often pose on u tube. The last one that I saw has two young teenagers (15'ish) holding machine guns, some had automatic hand guns, and the rest has axes, meat cleavers, Rambo knives etc. They organise battles with other like minded chavs from estates with different post codes.

The ethnic gangs are running riot, the Asians are at war with the Afro's for control of the drugs territories, and either will mow down anyone who gets in their way. These guys are are seriously dangerous, the Afro's are usually high on drugs and the Asians hate anyone who isn't Asian.

You're completely out of touch Strav, parts of the UK are now as dangerous to be in as down town Beruit. Don't get me wrong, I don't see police officers patrolling Sheffield carrying machine guns, as I have in certain parts of Manchester. Come to think of it, I don't see police officers patrolling Sheffield persay.

So when you see the Guadia, Local and Municipal police out and about, think yourselves lucky, I'm thinking of starting a new craze called Spot The Cop.

[Tallulah]

Thanks for the reality check guys - I am counting myself very lucky indeed being here. Especially for the sake of my children. I've been feeling rather down lately, missing my parents and sister back in the UK dreadfully - with all this talk of Jo going back and spending time there, the shopping LOL!!, it's made me realise that after not having stepped foot back there at all in four years now, it's time to take off the rose tinted glasses and realise that my "ideals" about the UK are non-existant and have not existed now for a couple of generations. OH suggested to me that I pop back for a while (if only to get it out of my system) but no way. I think I'll stay put and wait for everyone to come and see me here.

Tally.xx

[crookesey]

Originally Posted by crookesey

Well Strav, in the past week there have been three seperate shooting incidents back here in Sheffield. Knife and gun murders are now common place, there are plenty of no go areas that used to be safe places.

The sink council estate 'post code' gangs often pose on u tube. The last one that I saw has two young teenagers (15'ish) holding machine guns, some had automatic hand guns, and the rest has axes, meat cleavers, Rambo knives etc. They organise battles with other like minded chavs from estates with different post codes.

The ethnic gangs are running riot, the Asians are at war with the Afro's for control of the drugs territories, and either will mow down anyone who gets in their way. These guys are are seriously dangerous, the Afro's are usually high on drugs and the Asians hate anyone who isn't Asian.

You're completely out of touch Strav, parts of the UK are now as dangerous to be in as down town Beruit. Don't get me wrong, I don't see police officers patrolling Sheffield carrying machine guns, as I have in certain parts of Manchester. Come to think of it, I don't see police officers patrolling Sheffield persay.

So when you see the Guadia, Local and Municipal police out and about, think yourselves lucky, I'm thinking of starting a new craze called Spot The Cop.

Sorry Strav, I wasn't up to date, one shot dead, three others injured last night, it's lovely to feel so safe.

[XTreme]

I always think that the people who say they see no more crime or violence on the streets etc are probably dead right.

But it actually says more about where they live and the environment they're used to than anything else.

If you have the means to live in a better area and only generally deal with a "better class" of person....then you'll be oblivious to the rest of society.

I would suggest that those people really need to check out the environments where other people live.

Take a little walk through Toxteth, Brixton, Moss Side etc. If you think you can do it and come out unscathed, then go for it and prove me wrong.

In fact go to any major town and look beneath the surface of the glossy shopping malls etc. Cos you're going to find a very different Britain than what you're familiar with.

These tree hugging lefties always blame the media for their portrayal of the bad conditions in Britain.

The MEDIA is responsible!

Well I'll tell you something.....visit a cashpoint at midnight in any big city centre!

Suddenly you hear noises behind you as you take out your cash!

And at that point the cold hard truth is going to hit you.......a Daily Mail reporter is now the least of your worries.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by XTreme

I always think that the people who say they see no more crime or violence on the streets etc are probably dead right.

But it actually says more about where they live and the environment they're used to than anything else.

If you have the means to live in a better area and only generally deal with a "better class" of person....then you'll be oblivious to the rest of society.

I would suggest that those people really need to check out the environments where other people live.

Take a little walk through Toxteth, Brixton, Moss Side etc. If you think you can do it and come out unscathed, then go for it and prove me wrong.

In fact go to any major town and look beneath the surface of the glossy shopping malls etc. Cos you're going to find a very different Britain than what you're familiar with.

These tree hugging lefties always blame the media for their portrayal of the bad conditions in Britain.

The MEDIA is responsible!

Well I'll tell you something.....visit a cashpoint at midnight in any big city centre!

Suddenly you hear noises behind you as you take out your cash!

And at that point the cold hard truth is going to hit you.......a Daily Mail reporter is now the least of your worries.

I agree to a point, but sadly you could say that about anywhere in the world, includin spain, there are areas of Madrid, Malaga..... you wouldnt feel safe in.

What bothers me is the british media reporting these things and to the "young thugs" reading about it, it almost makes it seem alright, or "big" and "permitted" so they go and do it!

In my opinion, the UK is so bad these days due to frustration, dissatisfaction and above all, no decent punishments or laws. The UK is so soft and forgiving that its no big deal to be bad anymore!!!

Jo xxx

[scharlack]

Originally Posted by Suenneil

I read this article today and it makes me so glad I dont live in the UK anymore - but it makes me sad at the same time as my kids are still living their lives there - and I wish it were better for them and all the other people just trying to get on with their lives ....No matter how bad things are in Spain at the moment, I cant see myself ever going back to this ! ... and I cant imagine it will get any better ..... only worse.

I genuinely used to love the UK, I grew up feeling proud of where I was from, who I was, and how the World viewed the UK ..... that hasnt been the case now for a long long time ..... very sad

The most violent country in Europe: Britain is also worse than South Africa and U.S. | Mail Online

Sue x

Hey Sue,

By reading the replies to this post I have no doubt that Britain has become more dangerous BUT it's still far from being anywhere close to S. America/Africa levels.

As far as the daily mail article, it is certainly exagerating but it is a good warning to the trends ...

[crookesey]

Originally Posted by XTreme

I always think that the people who say they see no more crime or violence on the streets etc are probably dead right.

But it actually says more about where they live and the environment they're used to than anything else.

If you have the means to live in a better area and only generally deal with a "better class" of person....then you'll be oblivious to the rest of society.

I would suggest that those people really need to check out the environments where other people live.

Take a little walk through Toxteth, Brixton, Moss Side etc. If you think you can do it and come out unscathed, then go for it and prove me wrong.

In fact go to any major town and look beneath the surface of the glossy shopping malls etc. Cos you're going to find a very different Britain than what you're familiar with.

These tree hugging lefties always blame the media for their portrayal of the bad conditions in Britain.

The MEDIA is responsible!

Well I'll tell you something.....visit a cashpoint at midnight in any big city centre!

Suddenly you hear noises behind you as you take out your cash!

And at that point the cold hard truth is going to hit you.......a Daily Mail reporter is now the least of your worries.

We live in a really nice area but the thugs are able to travel. The wife and I were attacked a few years ago by 4 chavs and their Asian drug supplier when walking back home at 9,45 pm from from a lovely afternoon at some friend's house, albeit a little worse for wear.

The only thing that saved us from further violence was when king chav hit me as hard as he could on me ear, splitting it from top to bottom. The t**t didn't totally floor me and I got up and said "Is that all that you have got you you c**t", I faced up to the five of them and they ran off.

My son. his RAF pilot and police officer mates went out to find them the next day. I asked my son what happened, and all I got was "shut up Dad", strangely enough there were no more attacks.