Man attacked by gang (From Swindon Advertiser)

If, as the Wiltshire police keep telling us via articles in the Adver, Swindon is a safe place to live, why on a daily basis is this website and the paper full of reports on assaults, robberies, muggings and drug busts?

Security word data-game, very appropriate.

The police as usual will never catch the culprits.

What a great advert for the town!

I'm sure we're going to need all the hotels, people will be flooding in.

I am an American that had recently stayed in Swindon for a visit.

I can't tell you enough how wonderful this town is, from it's beauty to it's history.

I've signed on with this little newspaper to continue reading about Swindon and all its charm. But learning about the violence and lack of police protection is stunning.

Don't be like the Americans and carry arms to defend yourselves against a handful of mindless thugs.

From what I have been reading these so called "Gangs" are nothing more than a bunch of teenagers that have no structure, no ability or thought to rise above and maintain their lives.

20 years ago I had worked for Housing Authority Police Department City of Los Angeles, now, those were Gangs and the ages ranged from birth to as old as 70. Their fights were all about territory. I have read the graffiti on the walls and did not see anything territorial, only names and numbers in the gangs. The largest consisting of 5. And the style of graffiti was all Chicago style, artsy. No messages, no threats, no communication at all other than an artsy word or initials that was supposed to intimidate me or impress me. Neither happened to me, though I do suggest to the artist writing the slogans to please invest in spell check!

To address the problem if I may make a few suggestions. Raise the drinking age to 21. This will cut back on a great deal of violence.

Those in violation would be the under aged drinker, the person selling the alcohol to the minor and the establishment as well. The fines should be very high and the revenues go into the arresting police department to help increase police hire, equipment and help serve the community better.

Over 20 years ago, I also helped lobby a law that is in effect to this day. Drugs. If a person is caught with any form of illegal drugs then whatever that person is in possession of automatically belongs to the arresting police department.

Example: A person is pulled over and marijuana, crack or other illegal drugs are found on that person, the vehicle the person was driving immediately belongs to that police department. The big gold "Bling" chains, diamond earrings and big gaudy rings. Even the "Grills" all become police property. Even if the shoes are worth money, they too will be stripped from the offending individual and become police property.

If a house is raided for drugs, everything in that house become police property, including the house itself.

From there, the confiscated property is auctioned off to the public at cheap prices I might ad.

The funds from the auctions are then divided up between arresting police departments and new officers are hired, more patrol cars are purchased, "Friendly" weapons are purchased such as tazers, guns that shoot rubber bullets or sand bags.

But it doesn't make the "Thugs" go away, so some of the funds are placed into community centers that provide vocational classes, job placement, crisis centers for the mentally ill, and mental illness is a highly over looked illness. It's also a base for violent behavior if not treated and maintained properly.

Vigilantism isn't the answer. Two wrongs don't make it a right, but standing back and doing nothing only makes you that much more of a victim.

(Earlier posts seemed to have been deleted.)

Good post if you ask me, Personally I love the approach in the US that you get asked for ID buying booze no matter what. Instead of all these ask 25 policies etc there just needs to be one simple one and that is that anyone and I mean anyone who attempts to purchase alcohol gets ID'd no excuses.

And yes the legal age should be upped to 21.