Good News and Bad News 

Speaking to BBC London on Thursday, Met Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens said terrorism was a major issue for the UK capital.

He said a number of terror attacks had been thwarted and hundreds of people were going through the courts.

When asked if the force had stopped an attack on the scale of Madrid he said: "Yes, I can't discuss it because of court proceedings but yes we have stopped a Madrid."

Sir John also said one of the major issues affecting London was knives.

"We've got a big problem with knives," he said. "We've driven down gun crime but I think there has been a move over to knives.

"If people are carrying a knife for the wrong reasons, i.e. to inflict personal damage, then I think they should receive a mandatory sentence of two if not three years."

But the trouble is that this kind of burglary - the kind most likely to go "wrong" - is now the norm in Britain. In America, it's called a "hot" burglary - a burglary that takes place when the homeowners are present - or a "home invasion", which is a much more accurate term. Just over 10 per cent of US burglaries are "hot" burglaries, and in my part of the world it's statistically insignificant: there is virtually zero chance of a New Hampshire home being broken into while the family are present. But in England and Wales it's more than 50 per cent and climbing. Which is hardly surprising given the police's petty, well-publicised pursuit of those citizens who have the impertinence to resist criminals.

These days, even as he or she is being clobbered, the more thoughtful British subject is usually keeping an eye (the one that hasn't been poked out) on potential liability. Four years ago, Shirley Best, proprietor of the Rolander Fashion emporium, whose clients include Zara Phillips, was ironing some clothes when the proverbial two youths showed up. They pressed the hot iron into her flesh, burning her badly, and then stole her watch. "I was frightened to defend myself," said Miss Best. "I thought if I did anything I would be arrested." There speaks the modern British crime victim.

  Posted at 8:33 AM by Nick |   |   |  

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