Ethnic-centred crime does exist
This won’t go down well with the likes of Elizabeth who will probably claim it as outrageous racist, if she’s still reading this blog.
One gang of travellers recently arrested by police were found to be responsible for half the caravan thefts in Britain.
Four members of the gang face jail terms having been convicted last week of conspiracy to steal.
The gang stole caravans & motorhomes from all over the country. Some were stolen off drives, others were taken from motorway service stations when families pulled in for a break on their way to or from holidays. Some were the owners’ only homes, leaving them without a place to live.
Nineteen police forces from Yorkshire to Somerset were involved in trying to catch the gang. They were finally caught when 120 officers raided a travellers site in Wiltshire. Stolen property worth £1 million was found including vehicles worth £700,000, £100,000 of jewellery £70,000 in cash.
MPS Probie says:
She actually said ‘rasist’- maybe it means something different and cuddlier?
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:24 am
Brother Random says:
How is this ethnic crime? As a normal member of the public I don’t understand all this new crime. Perhaps the home office can get something organised to educate the public, a few million (out of police pensions) and a couple more departments (of civilians) should cover it.
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:10 am
MTG says:
Anything contrary promises to be interesting but I would no more care to oppose your proposition than coat myself with honey and step into a bear pit, 200.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 am
met east london says:
Conducted a s.18Pace search of a traveller site yesterday! We had threats of having our tires slashed and worse! There may be honest law abiding travellers somewhere I have not encountered any!!Most travellers believe it is a cultural right to cheat rob and steal from anyone but their own!! But at least you know where you are with them and they will play the game and take arrest and prison as an occupational hazard!
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:56 am
Stonehead says:
Without exception, every ne’er-do-well that I’ve found skulking about our croft has had an Irish accent. And they’ve largely driven vehicles with Irish registrations. I’ve found them inside outbuildings, looking at machinery and looking at the livestock. When challenged as to what they’re doing they reply along the lines of “just looking for the boss”, “do you need some tarmac laying”, “do you want generators/pressure washers/Land Rover parts/farm implements that are surplus to requirements” and so on.
When I tell them to leave, they smirk and say things like “what you going to do? Call the Gardai/polis? They can’t touch us”.
And that unfortunately appears to be true. When I’ve reported some of the dodgier goings on, the calltakers have been interested until the point at which they ask for descriptions and I describe Irish accents or Irish registrations. At this point, I’m usually told I shouldn’t stereotype according to ethnicity.
I really resent the implication that I’m somehow racist by observing the Irish connection because I’m an immigrant myself. I’d never even heard of Travellers before coming to the UK, didn’t know their reputation one way or another, and have only gone on what I’ve seen first hand. And that it is that the people I find doing things they shouldn’t on my property have Irish accents, use Irish words and generally drive vehicles with Irish registrations.
It doesn’t mean that I think all Irish people are dodgy. Nor does it mean I think all Travellers are dodgy. All it means is that the obviously dodgy people I’ve come across since taking on the croft have had an Irish connection and, by their own words, are itinerant and/or Travellers.
Stupid political correctness has a lot to answer for.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:59 am
Hogday says:
I stand by my comments that caused an uneasy silence, followed by uproar, in a `diversities class` I attended: “I’m sure there are honest, hard working, tax-paying travellers who would never dream of stealing anything and who live honest, decent lives in their own way, as they wend their way through the towns and countryside of this land. It’s just than in nearly 30 years police service i’ve not managed to find more than one, even though I was prepared to meet more”. As for the `ethnic` crime, I preseume this is if travellers are referred to as `Gypsies` when they’re not. (The good traveller family I referred to were in fact true Gypsies)
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:24 am
Civ_In_The_City says:
So the theory goes that no minority group is capable of committing a crime? Is that correct?
Any suggestion that this happens is purely driven by racism and prejudice and irrational hatred?
We shouldn`t use any form of profiling to try to identify terrorists before they get on a plane?
And why haven`t women got the right to be tested for testicular cancer?
And dogs should be allowed to take an “A” level in German if they show an aptitude. The fact that they are a dog should not disadvantage them.
And I say the sky should be green on Thursdays.
No more special cases, treat as you find.
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:55 pm
bender the robot says:
‘but why do you want to be Loretta, Stan?’
‘I want to have babies!’
‘What?’
‘You can’t have babies! where’s the foetus going to gestate? you going to keep it in a box?’
‘dont oppress me!’
‘look, suppose we fight the oppressors for Stan’s right to have babies?’
‘what’s tho point?’
‘it’s symbolic of our struggle against oppression…’
’symbolic of his struggle against reality…’
ring a bell?
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Pc A Hunn says:
TGB’s.
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Ex-RUC says:
The travellers’ sites in the border towns of NI that I served in all seemed to have the same name and date of birth and the same RoI driving licence (without a photo). Unless, that is, you wanted that chap or chapppess on a warant in which case they’d never heard of him/her.
The best clearance of travellers’ warrants I ever saw was by a legendary skipper who dressed a newby (unknown to the travellers, you see) in civvy suit and tie and sent him down to the travellers site to say there was a new Government scheme to reward travellers with cash. All they had to do was turn up at a nearby hotel with ID to claim their rewards.
Must have been two dozen warrants cleared that day! Ah, happy memories.
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Tony F says:
The funny thing about stereotypes, is that they usually are correct.
If ti looks like a duck, and quacks like one….
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Elizabeth says:
Hello 200, I think perhaps you might have missed me so maybe this was aimed at me. Anyway, I dont call this a rasist post, surprise surprise. This was clearly reported as a criminal gang not a whole race of criminals. I dont dispute any of what was written in the papers, I know it to be true. The only thing that is incorrect is when some reported them to be Gypsies. I know them to be Irish travellers. These people stole from anyone, even their own. The people you refer to as having their only homes stolen were Gypsies. I personally know people who had their only homes stolen. Very distressing, even for Gypsies. Not that I expect anyone to feel sorry for us, maybe some of think that we may deserve it.
Anyway, nice to catch up again, I do check your posts from time to time.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:31 pm
200 says:
Hello Elizabeth, I’m glad you’re still around, if only so your own stereotypical view of the police can be maintained by reference to my posts.
I’m also glad to see you broadly agree with the views on this particular bunch of thieves.
I don’t think anyone deserves to have their home stolen, unless of course, they are themselves thieves of a similar ilk in which case I’d call it payback. (not that the victims in this case were, I have no idea who they were)
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:24 am
Elizabeth says:
Hi 200, nice to have a more agreable dialog. However I must say that although on this accasion your post is accurate some of the comments from your freinds here leave a lot to be desired and TGB is rasist, pc A Hunn. Anyway I dont have a stereotypical image of the police. I have met and worked with enough to know that the police force is just as wide and diverse as any community, even mine. I have some officers who I would call real freinds and others have also proven to be genuinely nice people striving to do a really difficult job. I also on the other hand have met some complete bastards who I never want to meet again. Shame though, that some of the officers here have never met any decent Romanys but if you put it into context they probably never will as most of the people you come into contact with in your of work is in a criminal capacity. So by that thinking you will only ever meet the criminal element. Unless of course you make freinds with any Gypsies outside of your work which rarely happens, although on a brighter note, sometimes it does..
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:42 am
RocketDodger says:
Elizabeth,
I just love you, ‘TGB is racist’ Who the hell are you to describe anyone or thing as racist?
This is the problem with this despicable hole of a country. We no longer have legislation based on the prevention of crime and the maintainance of the public good. We now have laws based on what these NuLabr chavs believe us scum should believe.
Over 3000 new laws in as many days: their purpose
To steal as much of our money as possible
To terrify us, normal members of the public, by legislating to control what we say, and worse, what we think.
And people like you Elizabeth, commit the worst crime of all.
You are complicit.
People like this would have been equally at home in either Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. They both all employed / encouraged government informers.
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Elizabeth says:
Hi Rocket dodger. TGB stands for Theiving Gypsy Bastards, as you know. This started in a Viz cartoon and was taken on bourd by the police when refering to Gypsies. It is just as derogatory as using the N word when talking about black people. All that other stuff you said is much too political for me so I cant answer, I’m just an ol Gypsy gal.
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:59 pm
MTG says:
Elizabeth said: ‘Hi Rocket dodger. TGB stands for Thieving Gypsy Bastards, as you know.’
Never having previously encountered ‘TGB’s’, I assumed various possible interpretations, including ‘the Great Brit’s’ but none made sense before conceiving ‘Thieving Gypsy Bastards’. Elizabeth later confirmed this was the intentionally derogatory and racist meaning.
Pc A Hunn should explain her response ‘TGB’s’ to a thread related to a particular ethnicity. 200 must be credited with his careful avoidance of racist remarks and thus he may wish to explain why he allowed this particular comment to stand.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:35 am