I wonder if the results will change following the latest lot of car vandalism in Old Town?

very funny try telling my mate that he had his number plates stolen whilst in a multi-story carpark. he is just waiting for all the agro to start now.

Meaningless statistics ? Given the almost complete lack of response or interest from the police and the sky-rocketing of insurance premiums for so many residents up in Old Town, many don't bother to report vandalism and hit-and-run damage to parked cars.

Oh dear, what an invitation to the mindless morons. So Swindon yobs are letting the side down, they are not damaging enough cars. I was looking at an ongoing piece of research by HMG where you can put your post code in and find how nice your area is, or isn't. Apparently Stratton is a wonderful crime free area. Would anyone in the real world like to comment.

You have to be very careful with these postcode search systems, many are linked to the ACRORN system and diverse areas are lumped together so the information is as best an over generalisation and at worst just plain wrong, All of Penhill, Pinhurst and the Parks are lumped together with 'Many towns and cities will have some neighbourhoods fitting this profile, but concentrations are found in Newcastle, Sunderland, Belfast, Liverpool and Greater Manchester' Not actually any help.

This is utter nonsense.

I live in a quiet area of Old Town and my car has been vandalised three times in the past 12 months.

I haven't made an insurance claim because it would push my premium up by amount more than the repair bills.

Other than the handful with garages, I don't know a single friend or neighbour in Old Town who hasn't had their car vandalised or broken into at some point.

As people above have mentioned, there are at least five streets in Old Town where every car has been attacked in one go!

When will the people who issue these ridiculous research findings realise that we all experience car crime on a regular basis? There's no point simply saying everything's fine when it clearly isn't.

Mind you, the chief of the Metropolitan Police recently stated that crime was so now low in the country that we could all leave our doors unlocked.

What planet do these idiots live on?

Big Mac wrote: What planet do these idiots live on?

The planet fool....

I think it says more about what everywhere else is like as compared to us :P

Oh Lord I quite agree.

LordBelacqua wrote: So you'd reduce yourself to his level by giving him a kicking?

What a complete non-argument.

Or do you honestly believe that people should not protect their property and that mindless thugs should not be punished?

Given that the police will do nothing even if they catch people vandalising cars (three young lads were caught by police, red-handed, smacking wing mirrors off cars and merely received a 'warning'), what would you suggest is done?

What I propose is that you stop **** about it on here and do something about it. Become a magistrate, a police officer, or hell, even a PCSO - try doing what they do.

By making yourselves criminals, you're simply putting law and order further at risk in this country, making yourselves no better than the criminal element that plague these streets. Vigilanteism is no way to go.

You don't support our local police teams, all you do is **** about it - I'm applying to become a magistrate, and if I'm appointed and I leave for university, I'll be travelling from Surrey to sit on cases. What are you doing to help law and order, other than simply beating people up, or even advocating it?

LordBelacqua wrote:
What I propose is that you stop **** about it on here and do something about it. Become a magistrate, a police officer, or hell, even a PCSO - try doing what they do. By making yourselves criminals, you're simply putting law and order further at risk in this country, making yourselves no better than the criminal element that plague these streets. Vigilanteism is no way to go. You don't support our local police teams, all you do is **** about it - I'm applying to become a magistrate, and if I'm appointed and I leave for university, I'll be travelling from Surrey to sit on cases. What are you doing to help law and order, other than simply beating people up, or even advocating it?

Lord, I'm really not sure where you going with this.

We could all become officers of the law, but as a society we spend our taxes on other problems so there just aren't the vacancies. In any event, if we did, who would do all the other jobs out there that need doing?

Tax payers don't expect to have to make life or career changing decisions simply because of the shortcomings of the current system, thery just want a system that stands up for the victim.

I truly hope that you show a little more thought before passing judgement on those people that come before you in the magistrates court.

I find myself frustrated by both the anti social behaviour of sections of the youth of today and by the apparent lack of action by those in authority to do anything about it. Whilst I can sympathise with the anger that lead KIR to take the action he did (I have felt the same myself) I would not advise others to follow his lead.
The risk of having legal action taken against you is just too high in the society we now find ourselves in. The risk that they may pull a weapon on you is up to you to judge,
As for LordBelacqua suggestion that we become police officers you will find that there are no vacancies in Wiltshire or 38 of the 43 forces across the county.

LordBelacqua wrote:
What I propose is that you stop **** about it on here and do something about it.


Dear oh dear.

We pay a vast amount of taxation to train professionals to do certain jobs for us. We can surely then complain when they are clearly not doing those jobs for us.

Using your logic, unless you're applying to become a cleaner in an NHS hospital you must not mention the fact that thousands of people now die each year by contracting MRSA in NHS hospitals.

Your suggestion makes no sense.

LordBelacqua wrote:
Become a magistrate, a police officer, or hell, even a PCSO - try doing what they do.


Just because I have not done their job does not mean I am allowed to make no comment over it, or to point out they're not doing it very well.

If my postman decides not to deliver my post for a week because he can't be bothered am I not able to make a judgement about his poor performance simply because I'm not a postman myself?

LordBelacqua wrote:
By making yourselves criminals, you're simply putting law and order further at risk in this country, making yourselves no better than the criminal element that plague these streets. Vigilanteism is no way to go.


It has to be better than the current status quo, where everyone gets away with whatever the hell they wish, without fear of being caught and without fear of punishment.

LordBelacqua wrote:
I'm applying to become a magistrate, and if I'm appointed and I leave for university, I'll be travelling from Surrey to sit on cases.


Well done, I wish you well. Please ensure that, should you get the position, you show more intelligence and judgement than the vast majority of magistrates currently do. Althouhg, based on your comments here, I fear it unlikely.

LordBelacqua wrote:
What are you doing to help law and order, other than simply beating people up, or even advocating it?

I shall do what the vast majority of people can do in a democratic country, I shall vote for a party that offers the best policies when it comes to law and order.

Therefore, I shall not be voting Labour.

LordBelacqua wrote:
What are you doing to help law and order, other than simply beating people up,

Its helping them by not reporting it.Why?.

Because my son who is 6ft4 found a druggy in my house.He had got thro a broken window,he gave him a bloody good kicking and draged him into the back ally and dumped him in a skip.
nothing was ever mentiond.No doubt Lordbelacqua would have slapped his wrist and sent him on a drug rehabilitation holiday.Fight Fire with Fire.

My car has been broken into 3 times. I reported the first break in, but all the police offered to do was send a Victim Support Officer round to comfort me. I like a cuddle as much as the next man, but needless to say I didn't report the 2nd and 3rd incidents.

Steve wrote:
My car has been broken into 3 times. I reported the first break in, but all the police offered to do was send a Victim Support Officer round to comfort me. I like a cuddle as much as the next man, but needless to say I didn't report the 2nd and 3rd incidents.

Steve, You were lucky all I was offered when my car was broken into whilst parked in the pay and display car park by the wyzern was a crime number and that was before the town centre police station (300 yards away) was closed.

BWB wrote:
LordBelacqua wrote: What are you doing to help law and order, other than simply beating people up, Its helping them by not reporting it.Why?. Because my son who is 6ft4 found a druggy in my house.He had got thro a broken window,he gave him a bloody good kicking and draged him into the back ally and dumped him in a skip. nothing was ever mentiond.No doubt Lordbelacqua would have slapped his wrist and sent him on a drug rehabilitation holiday.Fight Fire with Fire.

How dare you presume to know what I would and wouldn't do.

The reason I'm applying to become a magistrate is so that I can a) learn what goes through the minds of these people when they do what they do, and b) play my part for society by looking at giving these people heavier punishments.

What you people don't seem to realise is that Magistrates can only do so much - they have to see whether their punishment is legal, relevant, and whether it will be in the interests of society as a whole. If someone is caught breaking someone's wing mirror, the fact of the matter is that the magistrates cannot send that person to prison on a first offence - there may well be other factors in the case that were not heard in the court, and that must be taken into account. Rather than looking at one person's own personal gratification, Magistrates must look at the bigger picture - as I do. I don't advocate giving these people "a slap on the wrist", but I most certainly do not condone giving these people a good kicking because it'll make you feel better. You want to give someone a kicking? Face up and accept the consequences. Vigilanteism. Does. Not. Work. Protecting one's property involves preventing someone from doing damage to or removing goods unlawfully from your property using reasonable force - restraining or preventing someone from doing the aforementioned act. If that means incapacitating them by rendering them unconcious, then I believe that should be the case - giving them an extra few kicks before and after is not acceptable - it is for your own personal gratification.