'Tough on crime. Tough on the causes of crime'

FIGURES PUBLISHED in today's  Daily Mail make shocking reading. The paper reports that last year 56 murders were committed by people given bail, and an average of two rapes a week were committed by those on bail. In addition there were 16 convictions for manslaughter, and 684 for violent assaults. In total there were 60,120 crimes committed last year by people given bail; of these 42,302 were classified as indictable offences.

            

             Meanwhile, according to Ministry of Justice figures, repeat offenders are committing 500,000 new crimes a year; and only one percent of those sentenced served the full term. Of the 10,000 burglars convicted in 2008, none received the maximum sentence. A mere 39 out of  3,000 sex offenders were handed the maximum term; along with four out of 6000 fraudsters and two out of 5,000 convicted robbers - in total just 79 people served the maximum sentence in 2008.

THEY ALL flourish the right rhetoric; they all create the snappy catchphrase that captivates the feeling of the electorate; but when it comes to performing, our political masters are tardy or  unresponsive. On the road to power they create the right script - the one they hope will give them that power. But once they start overseeing the nation, a different picture unfolds.

            

             Some of the successful ones go to their various ministries and go native; serving senior civil servants instead of the nation. Others, on the other hand, go determined not to fall foul of high priced civil servants and stick to their party's manifesto.

            

             A strong Home Secretary determined to be 'tough on crime', and strong enough to resist the contrary advice of his civil servants, will come to parliament to announce new legislation to that purpose; and, given that his party has a generous majority, his legislation becomes enacted into law.

            So he begins pulling the leavers like some demented railway   signalman…but…nothing happens. The levers work, but the reforms go ignored; ignored by magistrates, judges and parole boards who work to their own agenda and give little credence to the ignorant politicians, whose election they see as an irritation to them.

            

            However politicians are nothing if not deceitful. In opposition they demand that criminals should  pay their full whack when it comes to sentencing; but when faced with prison overcrowding and a multi billion pound deficit, they give a nod and a wink to the justice system to send less people to prison.

THIS IS THE SITUATION TODAY.  Our prisons are overcrowded and have been for many years; yet the current coalition are set to close four prisons, and  to replace them with £250 million 'super' prisons; either they are being built or due to be built; but either way, it is surely premature to begin closing prisons until the 'super' ones are fully functioning.

            

            How many politicians will be counted among those 56 murder victims listed above? How many will be counted amongst those 16 victims of manslaughter, or among those 684 who were violently assaulted listed above? All by people receiving bail.

            

            Most of our politicians live in low crime areas and hide behind that drawbridge. Affluence is their moat that separates them from the community they are meant to serve.

            

           The politicians however are not alone. The whole political class, which incorporates the world of journalism and the media, are tucked safely away from the high crime post code areas; with probably one exception - those belonging to the Guardianista liberalarti, who make a gesture of living among the lumpen proletariat providing, that is, they are from the vast array of multi-ethnic communities that now adorn this once great nation.

            

            The British people now put little faith in the criminal justice system; or any belief in the politician's ability to match their words with the appropriate action. I am afraid the rot has set in. The criminal has little to fear from our courts; and makes the simple calculation of halving whatever prison sentence he is given.

            

            There has never been a better time for criminals to practice their trade. Whether shoplifter or burglar; all so-called petty crimes are becoming seen by the police as not worth the effort, and almost wasteful in terms of their limited resources - besides which, the police, like the British public, are all too aware of the hideously lenient sentences handed out for such crimes. Why waste your resources on such crimes if the justice system does not take them seriously? Better to target murder, rape, and manslaughter - and who can blame them for so doing?