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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:07 am 
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Here is something, not in the Mail but a tech weblog called engadget

Quote:
UK drivers caught texting could get 2 years behind bars

UK Drivers caught texting or operating a range of gadgets behind the wheel -- including MP3 players and GPS systems -- could face a new maximum of two years in prison. Currently the crime is punishable by £2,500 fines or community orders, although the most common offense is using a mobile phone whilst driving, which results in a £60 fine and three points on a license.

Shifting to a higher category of dangerous driving from the previous category of careless driving might not solve the problem of people ignoring the current restrictions: if the current problem is poor enforcement, then it's hard to see extra deterrence making a difference. But hey, the cops over there seem to think that hovering drones and unbridled surveillance does the trick in other areas of criminality, so who are we to argue?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/08/uk-drivers-caught-texting-could-get-2-years-behind-bars/


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 11:52 am 
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Quote:
UK drivers caught texting could get 2 years behind bars

Good.


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:27 pm 
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Beaver wrote:
Quote:
UK drivers caught texting could get 2 years behind bars

Good.


Nah that's ridiculous. I don't think a prison sentence is ever an appropriate punishment for a victimless crime. A fine would be preferable - if it's not enough then make it a bigger fine until it is, or issue a driving ban.

Unlike a fine, prison sentences just end up costing the tax-payer money. I can't imagine many tax-payers willing to pay for text-and-drivers to be locked up.


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:56 pm 
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You can still see when you're on the phone while driving, but I couldn't text and have my eyes on the road at the same time. Two years is a bit hefty IMHO, but if you can go to prison/get banned for drink driving, I think texting would warrant a similar punishment.
(In fact, prison is ridiculous, but text-driving is one of my pet hates.)


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:59 pm 
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Run wrote:
Along with the tautological last sentence and the mis-spelled title

Sorry, the title was typed in by me. The last sentence was also part of the next paragraph.

It is sourced info. You'd have to view the wiki for the proper formatting.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:51 pm 
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The left liberal wishy-washy Brown's broadcasting corporation (did I miss any?) has this interesting article

Summarised: two officers think they do too much paperwork and have to meet targets and quota and aren't allowed to use their own judgement enough.

I found these paragraphs most interesting:
Quote:
The public also have blame in this problem because their expections of what the police should be involved with has risen dramatically over recent years. Issues that were once sorted out within families, communities etc, are now instantly thought to be a police issue.

The worst example of this is the amazing number of parents that ring up to ask a police officer to come around and tell their child off.

The other is parents whose kids have been involved in typical childrens rough and tumble and instantly want to report a minor bruise as a crime and have the other child prosecuted.


I wonder if we'll see that in the Mail. If we do I suspect it'll be by a columnist and twisted and exaggerated:
"Now police blame parents for their failings". "In an extraordinary claim, the police force are blaming parents for being too dependant on the police. In this land of Health and Safety rules where we cannot shout at our children for fear of being sued, parents are calling police to do it for them - and rightly so. Well now the police aren't happy and blame parents for everything.
This is yet more political correctness / failing government etc"


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:17 pm 
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Fit woman has bag taken (or not)

'Snatching hangbags is not a crime,' police tell theft victim

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770

Quote:
Thank you Gordon and Tony, for creating the Alice in Wonderland nightmare that we all live in.

- Dino Fancellu, Epsom



Dino may merit his own thread.

http://www.javelinsoft.com/company/dinocv.htm


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:23 pm 
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She is hot. Erm, anyway.

Sensationalist headline, mediocre story.

Quote:
The incident happened at just before 2pm yesterday in the Hammersmith shopping centre. A police community support officer attended the scene and took Ms McAlister to the local police station, where she was shocked to be told no crime had been committed.

The former lawyer, who is now a radio producer, said: “The female police officer behind the desk asked me the barest of details and she said that if I have got the bag back then obviously that's not a crime. I was dumbfounded.”


Sounds relatively reasonable to me.
Okay, so she had it nicked, but the fact is she got it back. Perhaps people would prefer the police go wasting their time trying to convict someone with very little or no evidence.

[mail reader]She was lucky she didn't get done for chasing the thief under this human rights dictatorship police state[/mail reader]


Paul wrote:
http://www.javelinsoft.com/company/dinocv.htm

I'll just get the surrey phonebook out then I might go on a spot of identify theft.
The prat.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:57 pm 
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Hmm, the phrasing is of course off.

In an ideal world the police would of gone after the person, and one would hope in general one would get a better response than that, undoubtedly.

As the Mail frequently bleats, we don't live in a perfect world.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:05 pm 
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bairy wrote:
She is hot. Erm, anyway.

Sensationalist headline, mediocre story.

Quote:
The incident happened at just before 2pm yesterday in the Hammersmith shopping centre. A police community support officer attended the scene and took Ms McAlister to the local police station, where she was shocked to be told no crime had been committed.

The former lawyer, who is now a radio producer, said: “The female police officer behind the desk asked me the barest of details and she said that if I have got the bag back then obviously that's not a crime. I was dumbfounded.”


Sounds relatively reasonable to me.
Okay, so she had it nicked, but the fact is she got it back. Perhaps people would prefer the police go wasting their time trying to convict someone with very little or no evidence.

[mail reader]She was lucky she didn't get done for chasing the thief under this human rights dictatorship police state[/mail reader]


Paul wrote:
http://www.javelinsoft.com/company/dinocv.htm

I'll just get the surrey phonebook out then I might go on a spot of identify theft.
The prat.


Er, do you have human rights in a dictatorship police state?? Gar, i can feel my head imploding, :x


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:53 pm 
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This is the same group of readers who are saying that the police shouldn't waste their time with petty criminals (people who speed) and should go after murderers are rapists.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:21 pm 
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Quote:
She is hot. Erm, anyway.



Each to their own I suppose, but I happen to think she looks like Buzz Lightyear following a sex-change.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:25 pm 
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Run wrote:
Beaver wrote:
Quote:
UK drivers caught texting could get 2 years behind bars

Good.


Nah that's ridiculous. I don't think a prison sentence is ever an appropriate punishment for a victimless crime. A fine would be preferable - if it's not enough then make it a bigger fine until it is, or issue a driving ban.

Unlike a fine, prison sentences just end up costing the tax-payer money. I can't imagine many tax-payers willing to pay for text-and-drivers to be locked up.


I agree, A ban is probably the way to hurt them really. Seeing as if it was a mail reader they wouldn't dare use public transport, they just moan about it.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 1:27 am 
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Quote:
Nah that's ridiculous. I don't think a prison sentence is ever an appropriate punishment for a victimless crime


Standing in the street and firing a machine gun into the air would also be a victimless crime - unless you count the passers by who would be scared witless. The justice system would also take into account that such a reckless and illegal act could easily have resulted in innocent persons being seriously injured or killed. If the guy driving the car alongside you on the motorway doing 70mph also happened to be texting, that might scare you witless as well. The justice system would also take into account that such a reckless and illegal act could well result in innocent motorists being seriously injured or killed. You see my point?
Bang the bastards up and ban them from driving for life. Anyone who texts while driving is obviously mentally unsuited to be in charge of a road vehicle.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 7:25 am 
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Good point. When I wrote my original comment I wasn't really paying attention and thought it was just about people talking on a mobile phone.

Texting while driving is rightly absurd - as bad as reading a newspaper on the steering wheel. Prison sentences would seem a good idea but 2 years is ridiculously excessive. Especially when some crimes with actual victims or property damage can get less than that.


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