Anarchy In The UK: Fear Of Crime Up
IF recorded violent crime has fallen, why are we so scared of it?
“ANARCHY IN THE UK,” says the Sun’s cover page. “TOO SCARED TO LEAVE OUR HOMES,” says the Mirror’s cover.
“A NATION UNDER SIEGE,” says the Sun. “Britain is on the brink of anarchy after weekend of yob violence.”
A mob has “BESIEGED” a police station. It’s Rio Bravo in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It’s Assault on Precinct 13. Three men are arrested. In the van police find sound equipment, the instruments of a rave, a dance party.
People who like to dance in a field and have it in the stack arrive at the police station. Missiles are thrown.
Danger. Claustrophobia and tension. But, as luck has it, the police have hard hats, visors, shields, big sticks and attack dogs.
“No members of the public were hurt,” says the Sun, the words beneath a picture of a besieger with bloodied and bruised face. The thugs arrived looking for trouble. They are dressed in nylon jackets and cloth hoods.
This is violent Britain. This is the police stood in formation and ready to deliver.
But no-one is hurt. This is because, as the Mirror tells us, we are all indoors. A “disturbing” 42 pr cent of people are “too scared of yobs to leave home at night”.
A third of us have called police to “tackle anti-social behaviour”.
Sue Carroll tells readers: “The shocking truth about this survey is that it’s no longer frail and nervous pensioners who are locking and bolting their doors at dusk, afraid to cross their own doorsteps at night, but all of us.”
“Thugs killed Pete for fun,” says the headline. “I nearly died to help girls,” say another. “Agony of stabbed lad family.”
The message is clear – have your newspaper delivered to your door. They will tell you when it is safe to go out again…
Posted: 20th, August 2007 | In: Tabloids Comments (3) | TrackBack | Permalink
