Tale of Two Countries: "Batterings more likely for Britons"; Crime falls in US

9:01am Friday, December 31, 2004

The (UK) Sun is reporting that the rate of armed attacks against British citizens continues to soar out of control.

In the news story, Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Keith Povey blasted the rise in violence recorded by police as “unprecedented”.

He stressed: “The public, police and the Government are rightly concerned about the level of violence routinely displayed on our streets.

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“There has been a troubling increase in the use of firearms." (emphasis added)

This is an extraordinary statement, given that Britain has already banned just about every type of weapon that a criminal might want to use. Handguns were made illegal in 1997, and nearly every other firearm (even BB guns) is now subject to a complex regulatory regime.

In the Sun story, Povey also highlighted the terrifying knife culture spreading across the country. His warning, says the Sun, came within hours of a man going on a stabbing rampage in North London, leaving one dead and five seriously injured.

The Sun reports incidents of violence against individuals soared nearly 15 per cent to 955,800 in 2003/04 — up from 834,900 the previous year. Burglaries of homes and businesses fell to 818,600 in 2003/04 from 888,800.

He stressed that less than one in four crimes leads to a conviction. The Tories seized on the official report to blast Labour’s failure to tackle
violent crime.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis fumed: “After seven years of this Government, violent crime has spiralled out of control.

“This report demonstrates why people think it is not safe to walk the streets for fear of being attacked."

Meanwhile, in a country where civilian ownership of firearms, and the practice of carrying them concealed for self-defense purposes, is at an all-time high, another news report says crime in Ohio cities is following a trend experienced by the rest of the nation: DOWN.

Crime fell in Mansfield during '04

"For the second year since 2000, unless there is a massive spike in crimes until the new year, violent crime will be down by 11 percent and overall crime down by 4 percent," police Chief Phil Messer said.

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Columbus murder rate drops big in '04

Columbus, the state's largest city, saw a dramatic 20 percent drop: 89 homicides in 2004 through Friday afternoon, compared with 111 in 2003.

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Cincinnati homicides decrease 12% in 2004

After five straight years of increasing killings, Cincinnati finished 2004 with a 12 percent decrease in homicides.

Sixty-six people died from homicidal violence in the city last year, compared with 75 victims in 2003. The 2004 total is slightly skewed because it includes two victims who died from injuries sustained years ago, most recently a 69-year-old man beaten in 1991.

The pace of killings slowed dramatically in the second half of 2004, when 26 people were slain - compared with 39 during the same time period in 2003. The 75 victims in 2003 marked a 26-year high.

Lesson, Americans? GUN CONTROL DOESN'T WORK to reduce crime or enhance safety. It is a failed social experiment, and should NEVER be tried here.

National Post (Canada) - More gun control isn't the answer

Gun Control Failure: British Residents Trained to Treat Gunshot Wounds

Op-Ed: Whither Gun Control?