Crime & punishment
A local police station, only open sometimes,
Crime is not being dealt with properly and punishment for wretched crimes such as rape and violent robbery is minimal.
Sentences do not mean much and offenders are released too early. I wish they would stop describing "life" for a crime when they mean 12 years or whatever, life should mean life, if the offender is only going on to commit the same evil again. There has always been the exception, the room for descretion in sentencing - fine for exceptional cases, just do not reward a cold blooded murderer with lesss than full punishment, as now happens time and time again.
Capital punishment is one of the reasons why killings on our streets were once a rarity, at some point the idea of this being re introduced is going to have to considered, if we are to combat gun and knife crime.
Some may say hanging or lethal injection is wrong in itself, why not ask the British people their thoughts on this by way of a national vote ?
One aspect often overlooked is the rise in an almost "shoot to kill" policy during police pursuits involving dangerous suspects, I imagine most people are unhappy about this increase in actual police force, rather the public would wish to see the ultimate punishment used sometimes and only after a full trial by a full jury. Politicians today seem uninterested in the publics views on crime.
Ford prison near Littlehampton is often in the news for the wrong reasons, although some good things are done there, security is not nearly high enough.
It is not for open prisons to house those convicted of serious offences, this does happen with those " near " to the end of their stretch. How can this be right ?
Prisons often have drug users, violence and criminal activities within, this is possible to almost eliminate with the correct level of security.There is some real merit in reading and writing lessons for inmates, if these are needed, but they need to be for those that are obedient.
Custody should never mean entry to a college of crime, but hard work and discipline, in humane, but basic conditions, that feature little in the way of luxury. We have to remember the misery to society caused by for example; violence or corruption. Hopefully no criminal activity on the outside, can be carried out, whilst an offender remains inside, though the use of mobile phones and computers increases the risk and this activity should be outlawed totally.
Visiting means a screen between inmate and visitor in effective prisons. Today our prisons are not run the way they could be, because of government inaction.
To know that a number of ex prisoners often now say they are happier inside prison, must say that our system is broken.
Crime of every kind is a way of life today. All crime deserves to be investigated as fully and urgently as possible. Every community deserves a well staffed police station open 24 hours, combined with officers out on the beat and not away on gender awareness courses or obssesed with CCTV footage and politically correct paperwork.
Simply read your local paper;
Littlehampton Gazette, Argus, Bognor Regis / Chichester Observer -every week offences are reported, every time an offender is caught, the sentence is weak. In a startling number of cases bail, discharge, community supervision - you name it, is in operation. The re-offending is then almost inevitable. Many more prison places are needed !
I know of a female victim of a crime; The offender was caught red handed, it was his third arrest for similar crimes, a breach of trust offence, he was released on bail and then finally given a community service sentence and a small fine !
I fully expect him to commit the same evil again, I fully expect if he is captured for that, then he will be released promptly and the cycle wil go on, if you are in the Police, I think you must despair of the system.
UKIP would change our system from supporting criminality, to instead supporting victims.