‘Pay? You’re having a laugh’ (From This is Hampshire)

Punishment?

You're having a laugh!

Brian Jones is not just a shoplifter.......he is a Marks and Spencer's shoplifter.

He's not Richard Madeley's son is he???

It was Peter Storrie.

this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Condor Man wrote:
this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Oh yes! Send him to prison so he can learn from the inmates how to be a more efficient criminal. What a good idea. It will only cost us thousands of pounds for his bed, board and security arrangements. Very good value for the £470 he nicked.
I'm not saying 50 hours community service is lenient - I think it should be far more. But don't you think it is better that these petty criminals are made to put something back into society rather than us paying lots of dosh to warehouse them in the university of crime.

freefinker wrote:

Condor Man wrote: this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Oh yes! Send him to prison so he can learn from the inmates how to be a more efficient criminal. What a good idea. It will only cost us thousands of pounds for his bed, board and security arrangements. Very good value for the £470 he nicked. I'm not saying 50 hours community service is lenient - I think it should be far more. But don't you think it is better that these petty criminals are made to put something back into society rather than us paying lots of dosh to warehouse them in the university of crime.

"Prolific shoplifter!"
Send him to prison, where he is not able to be a shoplifter or give him 50 hours community service and on year's supervision, where he can make daily visits to shops?
Perhaps a combination of both.
Day release from a prison, allowing him to work (if he has a job) and also do the 50 hours, but under supervision once that is done.
With money earned, pay toward 'food and lodgings'!
Punishment fitting the crime!

freefinker wrote:

Condor Man wrote:
this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Oh yes! Send him to prison so he can learn from the inmates how to be a more efficient criminal. What a good idea. It will only cost us thousands of pounds for his bed, board and security arrangements. Very good value for the £470 he nicked.
I'm not saying 50 hours community service is lenient - I think it should be far more. But don't you think it is better that these petty criminals are made to put something back into society rather than us paying lots of dosh to warehouse them in the university of crime.

He doesn't need to learn from other inmates, he could probably teach them, let's just if he went the jail it wouldn't be the 1st time.

freefinker wrote:

Condor Man wrote: this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Oh yes! Send him to prison so he can learn from the inmates how to be a more efficient criminal. What a good idea. It will only cost us thousands of pounds for his bed, board and security arrangements. Very good value for the £470 he nicked. I'm not saying 50 hours community service is lenient - I think it should be far more. But don't you think it is better that these petty criminals are made to put something back into society rather than us paying lots of dosh to warehouse them in the university of crime.

you'll be telling next that shoplifting is a victimless crime. I was talking to a client of mine who was the victim of shoplifting, and suffered the financial consequences. There has to be punishment for crimes, criminals have to accept that there will be a response to their actions from the law. This bloke should be made to repay all the shopkeepers he's stolen from rather than clean chewing gum off pavements.

Condor Man wrote:

freefinker wrote:

Condor Man wrote: this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Oh yes! Send him to prison so he can learn from the inmates how to be a more efficient criminal. What a good idea. It will only cost us thousands of pounds for his bed, board and security arrangements. Very good value for the £470 he nicked. I'm not saying 50 hours community service is lenient - I think it should be far more. But don't you think it is better that these petty criminals are made to put something back into society rather than us paying lots of dosh to warehouse them in the university of crime.

you'll be telling next that shoplifting is a victimless crime. I was talking to a client of mine who was the victim of shoplifting, and suffered the financial consequences. There has to be punishment for crimes, criminals have to accept that there will be a response to their actions from the law. This bloke should be made to repay all the shopkeepers he's stolen from rather than clean chewing gum off pavements.

I'll speak for myself, if you don't mind that is.
Sorry to disappoint but I DON’T think "that shoplifting is a victimless crime".
Actually, I agree with you that
a) Crime should be punished.
b) Shoplifters/thieves should repay the value of stolen property
But, I think “criminals .. accept that there will be a response to their actions from the law” already. They regard this as an occupational hazard that occasionally they will get caught.
That’s where the problem is – our appalling crime detection rates.
If we sent far fewer non-dangerous criminals to prison there would, theoretically, be more cash for front-line policing, with resulting increases in detection rates. Thus, an improved deterrence to crime in the first place.
I’m also sure we could find more potentially beneficial community service than cleaning “gum off pavements”. But I agree most current schemes are not very inspiring.

Linesman wrote:

freefinker wrote:

Condor Man wrote: this piece of filth has been having a laugh at us for too long. He should have been sent to prison

Oh yes! Send him to prison so he can learn from the inmates how to be a more efficient criminal. What a good idea. It will only cost us thousands of pounds for his bed, board and security arrangements. Very good value for the £470 he nicked. I'm not saying 50 hours community service is lenient - I think it should be far more. But don't you think it is better that these petty criminals are made to put something back into society rather than us paying lots of dosh to warehouse them in the university of crime.

"Prolific shoplifter!"
Send him to prison, where he is not able to be a shoplifter or give him 50 hours community service and on year's supervision, where he can make daily visits to shops?
Perhaps a combination of both.
Day release from a prison, allowing him to work (if he has a job) and also do the 50 hours, but under supervision once that is done.
With money earned, pay toward 'food and lodgings'!
Punishment fitting the crime!

Indeed, there are several similar schemes operating in other European countries.
They are usually restricted to the more severe of non-violent crimes rather than shoplifting.
They do work and you detail the benefits well.

History lesson! after reforms in the 19th century, persons convicted of theft or other petty crime's were sent to Australia, not hanged. What happened to the good old day's?
A hundred years ago he would have
been sentanced to life on Bondi Beach, having BBQ'S! Maby He hasn't realised things have changed. It's the Gov, who's having a laugh. At your exspense. Send him to Saudi Arabia, so He can get hands off experience in theft.

ozzieom wrote:
History lesson! after reforms in the 19th century, persons convicted of theft or other petty crime's were sent to Australia, not hanged. What happened to the good old day's?
A hundred years ago he would have
been sentanced to life on Bondi Beach, having BBQ'S! Maby He hasn't realised things have changed. It's the Gov, who's having a laugh. At your exspense. Send him to Saudi Arabia, so He can get hands off experience in theft.

Ar! That's more like it. You can always rely on at least one Echo reader to outdo even Daily Mail editorials.
And what makes you think Saudi Arabia has any interest in accepting our thieves? Oh, sorry, I forgot. We are looking back 100 years to when we imposed our will on the world by the gunboat. Those were the days.
I would also wager a small sum that you are one of those outraged by suggestions of introducing sharia law to the UK - but apparently quite happy for this barbaric legal system to be used by other nations, on our citizens at that.

I was going to comment, but freefinker's way ahead of me! Probably putting it far more eloquently as well. I'm in total agreement mate.

Shoplifters do need more of a detterrent than community service.I work in a shop and we get shoplifters every day.This could result in us losing our jobs if we have a steady increase of lost stock,the company i work for will just close us down, we do have a security guard and she is brilliant, but theives know when she is working,its not hard to suss out her hours.People think the insurance willpay for the items they steal.Wrong.It makes my wages less.It makes my boss unable to hire any more staff.We report every crime, usually nothing gets done about it.It goes to court, slap on the wrist, community service, £25 fine for stealing £80 worth of goods.You think im joking??Shoplifting is a career for some.