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Straight from the horse's mouth
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I was on the bus from uni the other day and from where I was sitting I was able to hear the conversation between two passengers (I was on the right, sitting in front of the guy and the girl was opposite me on the left of the bus)
Girl: "Aye I looked at it and thought it was a hotel and I was like, this cannae be it. Then a got taken inside and a was like pfffft"
Guy: "Anno it is innit, a was the same, a was in over christmas. What about you, you in long?"
Girl: "Aye, six weeks. Was awrite. Made me wait for fuckin hours though since 11 for ma bail papers tae come through."
Guy: "Aye a was up the day again, keep ye waitin ages. So where ye live"
At first I thought they were on some course or something. Then I realised they were talking about being in prison. What the fuck is this world coming to when the worst part of a prisoner's "punishment" is waiting around in a court from around midday to be released!
And the "like a hotel comment" I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't even seen the papers saying the exact same thing. :rolleyes:
Girl: "Aye I looked at it and thought it was a hotel and I was like, this cannae be it. Then a got taken inside and a was like pfffft"
Guy: "Anno it is innit, a was the same, a was in over christmas. What about you, you in long?"
Girl: "Aye, six weeks. Was awrite. Made me wait for fuckin hours though since 11 for ma bail papers tae come through."
Guy: "Aye a was up the day again, keep ye waitin ages. So where ye live"
At first I thought they were on some course or something. Then I realised they were talking about being in prison. What the fuck is this world coming to when the worst part of a prisoner's "punishment" is waiting around in a court from around midday to be released!
And the "like a hotel comment" I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't even seen the papers saying the exact same thing. :rolleyes:
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Comments
Kill 'em all and let God sort it out.
Better education is all well and good...
...but say someone is caught shoplifting. What's the best course of action?
What if it's the 5th time they've been caught?
I don't really agree with the criminal system though. Someone who commits petty crime every day will be in and out of prison all the time, and it wont phase them. Someone who makes a mistake once can end up with a longer prison sentence than the others put together. IMO doesn't reflect the true cost to society, because say you were trying to evade tax, got caught out, you're not likely to do it again.
Depends on why they're shoplifting and other circumstances.
Make them pay everything back - plus any expenses incurred by the shop. Shoplifters indirectly steal off all of us by forcing prices up. And in case of where I work, Waitrose, they're directly stealing off thousands of hard-working retail staff. Persistent offenders (if not imprisoned) should be required by law to disclose upon entering a shop that they're thieving scum.
Given that 85% of shoplifting is done by hard drug addicts dealing with their addiction should be the priority. You'd cut it massively by prescribing heroin.
If they are caught, then they didn't get away with it, so the goods they tried to steal would be recovered.
Do you think Waitrose would pay you any more if there were no shop lifters? I doubt it somehow.
How would you police people having to declare their past? Would it last a lifetime?
Not sure where the 85% figure comes from.
Shoplifting is lucrative, the 'professional' shoplifters steal to sell on and razorblades, electric toothbrushes, spirits, CDs, DVDs, etc are easy money. The chances of getting caught aren't that high - and if they do get caught the penalties are insignificant. I don't believe for a second helping this apparent 85% with heroin prescriptions will cut shoplifting by 25% let alone 85%. (Not saying that more help for addicts is a bad thing though).
Caught shoplifters should be made to pay everything back. (If they have not taken reasonable steps to attempt this they should face jail). And if they're a repeat offender and not locked up they should be forced to disclose upon entering any shop that they're a thief. And if they don't do that they should face jail. That would cut shoplifting by at least 25%.
Er, yes. Waitrose/John Lewis is owned in full by its staff, profits are then paid out to staff in the annual bonus. (Some profits are held back for investment and pensions). And shoplifting costs WR millions of pounds a year which would otherwise be paid to staff in the bonus.
If they hadn't committed a crime in five years I'd say they should no longer have to admit to being a thief. Dunno how it would be policed, perhaps more through them being caught stealing again and it turning out they had not admitted to being a thief...Or there's sticking it on the ID card system and putting in random checks. That would be going a bit too far though. Meh, just lock up persistent offenders.
Hmmm ok it's your bonus though not your actual pay, you don't know they would actually give the difference from shoplifting to shop floor staff.
I think that's a daft idea to be honest...completely unworkable.
I'm wondering how you propose to enforce this for people living on the streets with no money?
Persistent shoplifters already do go to jail.
THIS ALREADY HAPPENS.
Yes I do know that it would be paid. (Although there is no distinction between shop floor staff, managers, etc - all partners get the same %). And the bonus is 'actual pay' - since it's usually between 10 and 15% of annual earnings it's a significant part of the job. And it's been stated before in the in house publications how much shoplifting costs partners in lost bonus. (I can't remember figures but I think it was about 1 or 2% - which as a % of annual earnings is a lot).
WELL LOCK THEM UP FOR LONGER.
When it's between hard-working retail staff working long hours and not earning vast amounts of money - and - shoplifters dishonestly stealing directly from them it's the only logical view I can hold.
and that will help...how exactly?
Funny how you don't care when its bosses stealing from workers.
*Yawn* - not sharing your Marxist views I don't see paid labour as intrinsically exploitative.
It's difficult to shoplift and rob hard-working shop workers when you're behind bars.
What about lazy shop workers?
If every single shoplifter was locked up, I imagine more prisons would have to be built and the money that would cost could equal more than the cost to businesses.
Here's a really radical thought for you to try and get your head around.
How about we do something proactive, rather than reactive?
"Lock em up" and "make them pay it back" are reactive, the crime has already happened. Both of these are already in oepration - see civil recovery schemes - and yet crime still happens to a large degree - hardly prevention is it?
It is though. You've yet to come up with any arguments refuting it.
and when they come out?
From the government, its in the Birt report on drug addiction and its effect on crime.
From this report, on page 26, it lays out how much of each sort of crime is committed by those with a hard drug habit;
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/downloads/work_areas/drugs/drugs_report.pdf
Shoplifting - 85%
Domestic burglary - 80%
Non-domestic burglary - 71%
Etc. Etc.
I was on the bus today and 2 girls were sat behind me. 1 girl says to the other:
"yeah I used to see liam, we used to go driving togther, he'd nick the cars and I'd drive them. We'd drive to my house, drop me off and then he'd drive on and get his mates and they were always caught, I was never caught. He has a new gf now, pregnant with his kid"
its amazing the things you hear on the bus.
One time there was a guy who had an ASBO and wa spointing out the places he could and couldn't go from the bus!