Knife crime - Leave it with us madam!
Discussion
My girlfriend is a manager in a Post Office. The other day a customer kicked off big time. Threw keyboards about, tried to get over the counter and most importantly threatened that he had a knife. There were witnesses, CCTV footage, the lot.
The police turned up, identified him fairly quickly and have spoken to him. He admitted the lot apart from the knife part. He said "Oh well there must have been some sexual tension between us, what I actually said was "I've got a night off".
Police ring her up and say "we're not going to do him for that, but he is going to court in a few days and he'll get a fine of at least £80.00".
What?
Now there are witnesses, two of whom independently reported it to the police so you'd think it would be fairly easy to prove but oh no, because he said I didn't say that the police are just going to do him for throwing the keyboards about. He'll get a fine and that's it.
What the
ing hell is the point in having a police force who are solely concerned with meeting targets? Right now I feel like speaking to the investigating officer and telling him I'll pop round his house and tell his wife I've got a knife. Do you think that will get the point across? Would it be acceptable to say that to his wife? I seriously doubt it so why is it ok for some scum to speak to my girlfriend that way with absolutely no action from the legal system?
What happens if this asshole eventually pulls a knife on someone?
To say I'ming furious about it right now is an understatement!
What is my next course of action? This isn't something I feel should be allowed to be brushed under the carpet.
Conveniently there was a police meeting in the town hall last night and it was only her talking me down that stopped me bursting in and really telling them what I thought in front of the press and to hell with the consequences!
Yet again the system of targets is seriously letting us all down. Justice? Justice mying arse 
The police turned up, identified him fairly quickly and have spoken to him. He admitted the lot apart from the knife part. He said "Oh well there must have been some sexual tension between us, what I actually said was "I've got a night off".
Police ring her up and say "we're not going to do him for that, but he is going to court in a few days and he'll get a fine of at least £80.00".
What?
Now there are witnesses, two of whom independently reported it to the police so you'd think it would be fairly easy to prove but oh no, because he said I didn't say that the police are just going to do him for throwing the keyboards about. He'll get a fine and that's it.
What the
ing hell is the point in having a police force who are solely concerned with meeting targets? Right now I feel like speaking to the investigating officer and telling him I'll pop round his house and tell his wife I've got a knife. Do you think that will get the point across? Would it be acceptable to say that to his wife? I seriously doubt it so why is it ok for some scum to speak to my girlfriend that way with absolutely no action from the legal system?What happens if this asshole eventually pulls a knife on someone?
To say I'm
ing furious about it right now is an understatement!What is my next course of action? This isn't something I feel should be allowed to be brushed under the carpet.
Conveniently there was a police meeting in the town hall last night and it was only her talking me down that stopped me bursting in and really telling them what I thought in front of the press and to hell with the consequences!
Yet again the system of targets is seriously letting us all down. Justice? Justice my
ing arse Griff, the Police don't make the decisions any more about what people get charged with, that's solely down to the CPS. Unless it's a guilty plea, and the offence is onethat can be dealt with at the Magistrates' Court, then the Police can decide (although there are certain offences that fit in this category that still need a decision from the CPS).
That said, the evidence you take to the CPS can sway them one way or the other (but holding stuff back or making stuff up is a big :no
. Interesting that they said he'd get at least an £80.00 fine, as that's the amount for a PND (ticket)...
You could ask to speak to the OIC, and ask who made the decision about the charges, and what the rationale was. If you're not happy, you can always make an official complaint.
That said, the evidence you take to the CPS can sway them one way or the other (but holding stuff back or making stuff up is a big :no
. Interesting that they said he'd get at least an £80.00 fine, as that's the amount for a PND (ticket)...You could ask to speak to the OIC, and ask who made the decision about the charges, and what the rationale was. If you're not happy, you can always make an official complaint.
Unproven?. I think you have your magistrates verdict right there which is why plod probably didn't want to spend 406 man hours filling in the paperwork to put before the CPS so they could laugh the possibility of any attempt of a prosecution out of the office.
It might not be right but you know as well as anyone how the system works and that law and justice only occasionally bump into each other by accident.
Plod take a lot of crap on here, some of it justified, but in this instance you're better off aiming your bile at the reason they can't do the job properly - Superintendants and above + the rest of the flotsam and jetsam that make up our justice system - it's no coincidence that a large number of sitting MP's are lawyers you know.
Still, to finish on a cheery note, if we all killed just one of the above, we'd have our legal system back in no time.......
It might not be right but you know as well as anyone how the system works and that law and justice only occasionally bump into each other by accident.
Plod take a lot of crap on here, some of it justified, but in this instance you're better off aiming your bile at the reason they can't do the job properly - Superintendants and above + the rest of the flotsam and jetsam that make up our justice system - it's no coincidence that a large number of sitting MP's are lawyers you know.
Still, to finish on a cheery note, if we all killed just one of the above, we'd have our legal system back in no time.......
Dibble said:
Griff, the Police don't make the decisions any more about what people get charged with, that's solely down to the CPS. Unless it's a guilty plea, and the offence is onethat can be dealt with at the Magistrates' Court, then the Police can decide (although there are certain offences that fit in this category that still need a decision from the CPS).
That said, the evidence you take to the CPS can sway them one way or the other (but holding stuff back or making stuff up is a big :no. Interesting that they said he'd get at least an £80.00 fine, as that's the amount for a PND (ticket)...
You could ask to speak to the OIC, and ask who made the decision about the charges, and what the rationale was. If you're not happy, you can always make an official complaint.
Dibble, when the day comes how would you fancy the job of running the entire UK "FORCE" (Service can be binned in the first 5 minutes).That said, the evidence you take to the CPS can sway them one way or the other (but holding stuff back or making stuff up is a big :no
. Interesting that they said he'd get at least an £80.00 fine, as that's the amount for a PND (ticket)...You could ask to speak to the OIC, and ask who made the decision about the charges, and what the rationale was. If you're not happy, you can always make an official complaint.
You seem a sound chap.
Durruti said:
Dibble said:
Griff, the Police don't make the decisions any more about what people get charged with, that's solely down to the CPS. Unless it's a guilty plea, and the offence is onethat can be dealt with at the Magistrates' Court, then the Police can decide (although there are certain offences that fit in this category that still need a decision from the CPS).
That said, the evidence you take to the CPS can sway them one way or the other (but holding stuff back or making stuff up is a big :no. Interesting that they said he'd get at least an £80.00 fine, as that's the amount for a PND (ticket)...
You could ask to speak to the OIC, and ask who made the decision about the charges, and what the rationale was. If you're not happy, you can always make an official complaint.
Dibble, when the day comes how would you fancy the job of running the entire UK "FORCE" (Service can be binned in the first 5 minutes).That said, the evidence you take to the CPS can sway them one way or the other (but holding stuff back or making stuff up is a big :no
. Interesting that they said he'd get at least an £80.00 fine, as that's the amount for a PND (ticket)...You could ask to speak to the OIC, and ask who made the decision about the charges, and what the rationale was. If you're not happy, you can always make an official complaint.
You seem a sound chap.
Dibble said:
We've got enough laws, we just need the magistracy/judiciary to toughen up, and the prisons to put them in.
IMHO.
Agreed.IMHO.
It stings though as a MOP where when I was pulled for allegedly speeding - to which I was completely co-operative because I knew I wasnt - I was dodgyscoped - I got fined more than twice as much.
Maybe there would be a loophole so that when i was sat in the police car before I was given my NIP I could have thrown him off kilter somewhat and told hom that I had a knife!
If I had to pay £80 for doing that, it would have saved me the points!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Which is surely the point here. I cannot imagine that the police would not have searched the offender, especially when witnesses allege he said he had a knife. I assume (and it is surely reasonable so to do) that no knife was found, ergo, NFA on that score - StreakyChrispy Porker said:
He'll get a fine of at least £80.
At least.
Probably more.
Threatening to have a knife is all part of the public order offence.
Let's face it most of these people are full of Sh*t.
Lots of people have told me 'I'm going to kill you, F8ck your mother etc' None of which has happened yet.
Aside from your Dad At least.
Probably more.
Threatening to have a knife is all part of the public order offence.
Let's face it most of these people are full of Sh*t.
Lots of people have told me 'I'm going to kill you, F8ck your mother etc' None of which has happened yet.
Well, OK, not the killing part, obviously.
Just out of interest, not having been crimed or committed offences for a while, when did behaviour like this become cause for punishments like "immediate cessation of chocoalte ration" rather than a few days in the pokey?
Chrispy Porker said:
He'll get a fine of at least £80.
At least.
Probably more.
Threatening to have a knife is all part of the public order offence.
Let's face it most of these people are full of Sh*t.
Lots of people have told me 'I'm going to kill you, F8ck your mother etc' None of which has happened yet.
But he claimed he told the police that he said he "had a night off" to the Post Office Manageress. If the magistrate believes that garbage based on the tangible evidence of the CCTV in the Post Office - he'd be a fool. Unfortunately far too many eat lentil burgers when dealing with low lives and behave like complete aAt least.
Probably more.
Threatening to have a knife is all part of the public order offence.
Let's face it most of these people are full of Sh*t.
Lots of people have told me 'I'm going to kill you, F8ck your mother etc' None of which has happened yet.
s over the very harmless offence of "challenging the NIP" 
But I've had one Nurse this week threatened and assaulted by a pal of one of the patients being treated here. This was all because he was asked to wash his hands and to leave his bag of half eaten grapes at the desk as we are a bit tetchy over hopsital lurgies - especially in the - er - lurgy ward here
He threatened to do a number of unpleasant things to her- and then me - when I politely asked him to leave. When security arrived - he pulled the old "concern about his pal" versus incompetent doctor/nurse and a dictator Hitler type (me"throwin' 'is weight around!"[/i]. 
What? Who? Me? Grrrr! We still chucked him out and his pal was seriously embarrassed by his "pal" who had actually come to borrow some cash from him
as it turned out later per the patient - who did not speak to the police other than to confirm he knew the bloke Police told our own hospital security staff that there was "nothing worth charging this character over" - despite the fact that he had pushed the treatment trolley into the Nurse and snatched one of the syringes there. (which he denied - but we had him holding this on our own CCTV from the corridor)
He claimed he slipped on our "incompetetently dangerously maintained floors".
The fools apparently took his word for it as he was "upset about his pal" 
You police oficers
- at least you can handcuff them and wallop with that baton. I have to call security.. put up with abuse in the meantime - and guy dreams up some daft "hurt feelings" excuse which get believed whilst we re waiting. Then get told like Griff - that all he'll get is a relatively small slap on the wrists when we are dealing with someone potentially dangerous. We know it's not the police's fault all the same. Lentilist magistrates with similar CPS "service" - for whom "common sense is no longer a requisite for the job"
randlemarcus said:
Chrispy Porker said:
Pass.
Before my time.
In 1980 I dealt with a man who smashed up a betting shop when his horse didn't win.
He got fined.
Fair enough, guess its always been this way. Thanks for the perspective Before my time.
In 1980 I dealt with a man who smashed up a betting shop when his horse didn't win.
He got fined.
Good lawyer and a few character references showing this to have been a "one off".I do not somehow equate threatening folk in a Post Office because of the normal queues a one off. Maybe the guy had some personality disorder .. had not taken some tablet. I suppose this would be the tactic taken by his defence. Par for the course these days
Guy who threatened the Nurse in my ward the other day had no excuse and I understand from my patient that he is more acquaintance from the pub than pal to him.
To put it in context and explain why I'm so aggrieved... What would happen if I told the investigating officer I was going to go round the perp's with a knife or for that matter if I told his wife I had a knife?
Would that be acceptable because it's the same thing. I genuinely doubt it but the way I feel about this I could so easily do that
This asshole genuinely frightened a Post Office full of women and pensioners and is being allowed to get away with it scot free. What if he stabs someone next time? The judicial system has failed to give him the slap he deserves.
Would that be acceptable because it's the same thing. I genuinely doubt it but the way I feel about this I could so easily do that
This asshole genuinely frightened a Post Office full of women and pensioners and is being allowed to get away with it scot free. What if he stabs someone next time? The judicial system has failed to give him the slap he deserves.
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