Now this news report makes me laugth

[The PIT]

Spot the new law recommendation that will stop sucide bombers in their tracks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3149297.stm

Shows how useless our police force is really.

[Jon P. Inghram]

I love governments... they pretend that making funny little markings with a dark fluid that drys on contact with air all over sheets of mashed, bleached, and otherwise treated wood can somehow stop various things from happening.

[Brian Ellis]

Quite apart from that, the report calls for more security at such a "high-profile event" (a bloody kid's birthday party). How much more will the UK taxpayer have to pay for such security? IMHO, it would seem that Nordic royalty, who are much closer to their respective peoples, who dare go into the street with little or no protection are closer to the ideal.

I have a theory that increasing security, in any field, increases crime. Shoplifting has rocketed since security cameras were installed. Burglary rates are higher in places where households have security alarms. I'm lucky enough to live in a place where people don't even lock their front doors and leave their keys in the car when they nip into a shop, but with very little crime of that sort.

[The PIT]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
Quite apart from that, the report calls for more security at such a "high-profile event" (a bloody kid's birthday party). How much more will the UK taxpayer have to pay for such security? IMHO, it would seem that Nordic royalty, who are much closer to their respective peoples, who dare go into the street with little or no protection are closer to the ideal.

I have a theory that increasing security, in any field, increases crime. Shoplifting has rocketed since security cameras were installed. Burglary rates are higher in places where households have security alarms. I'm lucky enough to live in a place where people don't even lock their front doors and leave their keys in the car when they nip into a shop, but with very little crime of that sort.

Problem with the party the entire Royal family were there it shows how shambolic the police and security is in this country. As for the Royal family they can get rid as far as I care.

My Theory is that society is now slacker against criminals hence the increase in shoplifting. Most houses have alarms as insurance companies insist you have one once you've been burgled. No one takes any notice of them so they aren't much of a deterant. Recent suggestions that Burglars should only be fined will only increase Burglary. Plus you're not allowed to defend yourself. In richer areas Burglars are less likely to meet someone who'll whack them around. This may explain why Burglars rates are higher where Alarms are present if that is the case.

[Wombat]

Odd. Picture caption: "Aaron Barschak has apologised for the stunt"

Article text: " Mr Barschak himself said he had no regrets about his actions and was happy his antics could lead to improved security around the Royal Family."

[Brian R.]

"Shoplifting has rocketed since security cameras were installed. Burglary rates are higher in places where households have security alarms."

Alternatively, security cameras were installed since shoplifting has rocketed, and households have higher number of security alarms where burglary rates are highest.

Cause and effect problem?

[Brian Ellis]

One of the major supermarket chains in Switzerland, about 30 years ago, had a provision of 1% for the cost of shoplifting. They did a pilot experiment and divided a number of their stores, at random, into four categories:
1. installed very visible security cameras, rotating them, etc. with a person to monitor them
2. installed those large convex mirrors at the end of each alley
3. asked the staff to be extra-vigilant, with a couple of extra security personnel doubling as apparent shelf-stackers
4. did nothing.

Shoplifting doubled overnight with 1 and also increased with 2 and slightly with 3 and not at all with 4. Of course, with 1, the number of shoplifters apprehended also increased, but the overall losses were slightly greater. They then studied a years results and called in a psychologist. The findings were that most of the shoplifting was done by three categories of persons:
1. middle-aged women, usually fairly well-off, who took the security measures to be an extra challenge to their kleptomaniac prowess and actually stole more in defiance.
2. extremely poor persons, majority elderly men, who might pinch a loaf of bread in desperate hunger.
3. teenagers who egged each other on to beat the camera to pinch a slab of chocolate or a bottle of Coca-Cola.

For the anecdote, they never prosecuted cat. 2: instead, they distributed any bread left over at the end of the day to the very needy, so the experiment had a happy social ending.

During the experiment, they always notified the police for cats 1 and 3. This never resulted in a diminution of shoplifting, though and they often re-caught the cat 1 women.

Now, the same chain does use cameras, at least in their larger shops, but they hide them, so that the public cannot see them. The reason for this is mainly because the courts like to see the tapes of the lifters being watched in flagrans delicto.