Britons are 'passive bystanders', report claims

[0iD]

Fundamental changes to policing and criminal justice are required because Britain has become a nation of "passive bystanders" who prefer to shift responsibility for crime and antisocial behaviour on to ministers, a study claims.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...ms-915783.html
Also from the Beeb,
Britons 'passive against crime' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7592196.stm

Is it because this sort of thing increasingly happens..?
Ex-boxer killed in 'smoking row' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7593932.stm

[directhex]

i don't get involved, due to fear of stabbing or other relatiation. hell, you can get punished by the subhuman filth we call britons just for walking down the street, let alone for disagreeing with their actions

[pollaxe]

I think a healthy distrust of the law has a lot to answer for. Get attacked or get involved in a situation - defend yourself and find yourself charged with something.

[chuckskull]

Problem a lot of people have is the police seem to be just as happy to put have a go heroes in jail as real criminals.

Though personally if I see someone doing something well outside the boundaries of my own morals, I'll smack them in the mouth.

[breezer]

Britain sucks, who cares.

BTW i am British. I hate this country and its ways!

[Fraz]

i don't get involved, due to fear of stabbing or other relatiation.

Clearly we need to legalise handguns so we can overcome this fear that stops us becoming a nation of successful vigilantes.

[staffsMike]

Clearly we need to legalise handguns so we can overcome this fear that stops us becoming a nation of successful vigilantes.

How about this.

You are afforded the right to weapons in relation to what grades you achieved at school. Those who do well get the BFG's, those who fail get blunt objects.

You see, those who really want the guns will have to work hard and become educated to recieve them. Due to this education it would be my hope that they saw how rediculous using them would be.. and thus balance is restored.

In reality though I think those with amazing grades and are afforded the right to the most dangerous weapons would come up with the best solution for this country..

[breezer]

Nice picture. Haha!

[staffsMike]

Nice picture. Haha!

It's a bit on the big side, but I think that just gives it the impact it needs

[Saracen]

Problem a lot of people have is the police seem to be just as happy to put have a go heroes in jail as real criminals.

I think that the belief in that is actually a fair bit bigger than the reality of it. But, the risk is there. I don't think it's anything like as large a risk as popular folklore would suggest, but it certainly is there.

But even if you don't get banged up for it, you could well be arrested at the scene, on the basis of sorting out who did what to whom, later on in the calm of the station. You could also go through a fair bit of anxiety waiting for a decision. And, of course, you could also get the living poop beaten out of you by those you're intervening against.

But personally, I'm not going to just walk on by. More like .... walk (briskly) in the other direction.

[chuckskull]

The dilemma is that despite, what I imagine is a very small number of actual cases. The consequences can ruin your life. You're playing the lottery and the grand prize could be life in prison. 3 balls still gets you community service and a P45.

Maybe I'm being overly idealistic, but when you're trying to help someone who genuinely needs it, the law shouldn't be an obstacle, it should be an aid.

EDIT: After re-reading that, I really am being overly idealistic, but still, when rushing to help someone you don't need to be thinking; "Am I going to get in trouble for this?".

[Emirzan]

The laws definitely need some clarification. They'll have to be incredibly well worded and thought out though.

I quite like staffsMike's idea, kind of like helping natural selection along, ensuring only the most intelligent stick around in the gene pool.

[Rave]

I probably wouldn't challenge a bunch of kids vandalising a bus shelter- depends how scary they looked, I guess. I would call the police though.

If I saw someone getting beaten up though- I'd be in there like a shot. If needs be I'd fight properly dirty as well. I nearly always have a 3-AAA LED torch which would make a pretty functional fistload, otherwise I've always got my keys. You hear of too many people getting beaten to death by gangs, while people stand by. No way I'd stand by if I saw someone getting a beating.

I once (in 2000) tried to stop a thug who'd nicked someone's bike; he knocked me on my arse, and then when I chased him up the road he stopped and faced me down; he was bigger than me and I backed off. When I went back to talk to the girl whose bike he'd nicked a relative of the thief tried to beat me up.

The police did sod all. Apparently the girl got her bike back; the fact that I'd been knocked on my arse and then assaulted didn't seem to matter to them at all, despite them clearly knowing who the family responsible were.

[Marcos]

no sh*t sherlock, of course we're bystanders, half the time people who get involved end up getting sued


ive heard of cases where the person defending themselves from an attack ends up getting charged, now how the hell is that fair? If someone attacks you, anything you do is fair game

[staffsMike]

If someone attacks you, anything you do is fair game

Even fish hooking?

I agree, if someone attacks me, especially if they have a weapon I will do whatever have I to. Take it to the death if need be.. probably be mine though, I mean how often is there just one of them?

I'll just have the thought, What would Jack Bauer do? running through my head.. I'm so going to prison

[chicken]

Even fish hooking?

I agree, if someone attacks me, especially if they have a weapon I will do whatever have I to. Take it to the death if need be.. probably be mine though, I mean how often is there just one of them?

I'll just have the thought, What would Jack Bauer do? running through my head.. I'm so going to prison

In response to the OP and along the lines of quite a few comments here, yes of course people are bystanders because you can even get sued for a criminal hurting themselves in your own house, never mind if you intervene in a crime! Also kids are growing up getting away with everything, no more clips around the ear for getting grief from a kid, these days it'd be straight back to the parents and lawsuit time.

As staffsMike said, if they attack you, you shouldn't have to fear reprimand from the law for fighting back. I'd go as far as to say if someone attacks you with a weapon their rights should be straight out the window as they have obviously disregarded everyone else's just leaving the house with it. Oh and of course the education-scale weapon allowance is a brilliant idea!