When someone commits a criminal act we would expect them to feel the full force of our judicial system, and in most cases we would hope that they would serve their time and learn from their ‘mistakes’. After all, doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance? However, over the last few years our judicial system has come in for criticism for costly mistakes that have been made! Mistakes such as letting dangerous criminals out on bail.

One such case was Jonathan Vass, this violent and dangerous man was let out on police bail only to stab his his ex-girlfriend Jane Clough to death in a hospital car park after she had just finished her shift in the A&E department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Of course it would be silly to assume that every person that is out on bail is a hardened criminal, however in a report published by the Ministry of Justice it stated that people (in England and Wales) who are freed on police bail are responsible for committing one offence every four minutes (source, opens in new window). This ‘crime wave’ equates to 142,537 crimes that are carried out by suspects already on bail.

In Merseyside, last year, police officers charged 26 people with murder, five of them allegedly committed the crime while out on bail for separate offences… These figures are not just isolated to Merseyside, they are mimicked throughout the country. The report estimates that around one murder every week is carried out by somebody who has been placed on bail for a separate offence.

At Crime Prevention Products we recognise the right people have to protect their homes as well as themselves and family! That’s why we supply a vast range of personal alarms and burglar alarms. These alarms will not only alert passers by that you need assistance but our home alarms will also help alert the proper authorities that someone has intruded into your home.

As the school year draws to an end, there will be thousands of children eagerly awaiting the last bell of term to ring – sadly, for some, this will not be to rejoice the start of the summer holidays but to escape the beating and intimidation they’ll have received on a daily basis while at school.

It’s been reported that as many as 12,688 school children are subjected to grievous or actual bodily harm during the year. This shocking figure equates to 65 serious assaults every day. The report which was published in the Daily Mail, (source, opens in new window) used data under the Freedom of Information laws. They found out that as well as criminal damage, harassment, theft, and sexual assault there was one under 14 year old child from Leicestershire who was convicted for carrying a gun whilst in school.

The report states violence in schools has been steadily rising since 2008 and is now believed to be at a record high. What’s more, the report states that this figure is probably a lot higher as many more pupils are subjected to bullying but are reluctant to tell anyone, and so it continues…

Dr. Aric Sigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, claims that children are becoming violent before they even get to school. Dr. Sigman coins this generation of pre-school troublemakers as ‘The Spoilt Generation‘ and states that a lot of their misbehaviour is down to “the lack of boundaries and the reversal of authority” between parents and their children.

Such is the worrying trend of violence in our schools that the government released new guidance for teachers to help improve discipline in schools (source, opens in new window). The coalition government has tore up the former 600-page guidance – introduced by the Labour government – and replaced it with just 52 pages. Its aim is to put the power back with the adult teacher and is outlined as so…

• Schools should not have a ‘no touch’ policy. It is often necessary or desirable for a teacher to touch a child (e.g. dealing with accidents or teaching musical instruments).
• Teachers have a legal power to use reasonable force. They can use force to remove a pupil who is disrupting a lesson or to prevent a child leaving a classroom.
• Heads can search without consent for an extended list of items including alcohol, illegal drugs and stolen property.
• Heads have the power to discipline pupils who misbehave outside the schools premises and outside schools hours.
• Schools must have measures in place to deal with bullying both in and outside of school.

As parents we try to help our children as much as possible, however we all understand that we cannot be with them all the time. At Crime Prevention Products we have a vast array of personal alarms which will fit discreetly on their school bags or act as a key ring. Many of these alarms emit a powerful siren which will allow your child precious seconds to make their escape.

We hope they never have to use these alarms, however, prevention is better than the alternative.

This year, the people of the British Isles have been subjected to various ‘economic recovery’ measures which have been set out by the new coalition government, in-order to get our countries financial stability ‘back on track’. Some of these measures included VAT increased to 20%, budget spending cuts introduced to local councils, Child Trust Funds axed and funding to the Police in England and Wales slashed by 20% over five years.

As these spending measures begin to bite, residents in the UK have been hit hard by huge price increases to their basic commodities such as heating, food and fuel. Not only that, but with the slow growth in industry coupled with less money to spend, many businesses have been forced to close, or have had to make tough decisions regarding redundancies and wage freezes.

With the government now turning its attention to tackling the benefit system some residents who rely on welfare payments will now face a future of uncertainty and hardship.

The stark truth of it all is, if you read between the lines, there is a real concern that those already living in the poverty level could be forced further into “deep poverty” levels.

With people having less money, it has been reported that many places have seen an sharp increase in crimes such as burglaries and robberies.

Recent reports from the Metropolitan Police show that the number of robberies in London last month had risen by as much as 15% compared to May 2010. Not only robberies but house burglaries have seen a rise of 18.5% and thefts of vehicles have also risen (6%). These figures are not just isolated in our capital city, reports from the Government’s crime mapping website showed increases in burglary in six areas, while robberies rose in three.

When asked about the statistics Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson admitted he is ‘concerned’, he also went on to point out that Scotland Yard had seen ‘reductions in most categories of violent crime’ in the last financial year. However, when questioned further Sir Paul Stephenson revealed ‘What I am concerned about is the burglary‘.

Initiatives are underway to help tackle burglaries in local areas. Sheffield Police announced they’re visiting known burglars up to three times a night, in some instances, in a bid to prevent crooks re-offending. Police have also started contacting unsecured homes they come across such as those with windows left open and doors unlocked.

With the threat of opportunistic theft on the increase we advise that every resident properly protects their property.