We've had several of these threads and we always reach the same conclusion: The law says you have to be nice to thieves, posters don't agree. Seeing as we live in a democracy where we the people supposedly make the laws, why do we have one that says you should be nice to thieves? Incidentally, saw a brief thing on the TV a week or so back where a Brighton copper was explaining that about 80% of petty crime - muggings, burglaries, bike theft etc, is to pay for drugs. That's worth thinking about. Opens up a whole new debate.
We don't have to be nice to each other. What the law says is that we have to act reasonably. So long as our actions are reasonable in all the circumstances, we are entitled to defend ourselves, other people and property. We are entitled to use reasonable force, up to and including killing someone, if we can persuade a jury to accept it was reasonable. We can debate whether particular actions are or are not reasonable in the circumstances. But I have not seen anyone arguing that Parliament should pass an Act saying that citizens are to be allowed to carry out unreasonable violent attacks. Buying an illegal firearm, lying in wait, shooting in the back an unarmed juvenile while he was trying to run away, and killing him is pretty clearly unreasonable in most peoples' opinion. That was the Tony Martin case, and anyone doing the same could expect to be convicted (murder, later reduced to manslaughter in his case). The legal principle is that being a victim of crime does not entitle you to commit further, worse crimes in turn. It entitles you to self-defence, not revenge or pre-emptive attacks, and that surely must be right. After all, we live in Europe not the Middle East.
The legal principle is all well and good, but what if the law fails to protect you? Tony Martin had been burgled 5 or 6 times before he took the law into his own hands, citing his disillusionment with the law as his reason to take up arms. I know how he feels. When I got burgled I got a crime number, and the local hobby bobby stuck a notice up on the nearest lamppost saying 'Criminals operate in this area'. Thanks a fucking bunch A fingerprint geezer came round to take dabs, and asked if I'd touched anything...but as the burglary happened over a sodding WEEK before he turned up, I had to confirm his fears... Would I take the law into my own hands..? Believe me, I already have.
Good idea in practice, but that would fk with the Multistrada riders when their bike cut out? No power and two locked wheels.
All Mr Inmoto needs to do is pop down the road to Lidl and buy up all their alarm disc locks at a fiver a go...
Built in security feature if bike is moving when power cut out do not apply lock. It could be done, and for example if you kill the ignition with brake lever pulled in and hold it for another 2s security applies.
The law is not hard enough on these people, treat them as olden day horse thiefs, hang the little shits, let the punishment fit the crime
It is very easy to say " I would do X, Y or Z" but when the shit hits the fan human nature is not to attack when sober. It is very hard to know what is reasonable if you have never done it before. How hard is to hard if you have never hit someone before? By the time those thought go through your head the moment has passed. Those blokes in the shop almost looked like they were waiting for Candid Camera crew to appear
Good point. When it comes to self-defence, the law allows a good margin of appreciation on account of the person defending themselves being taken by surprise, not knowing what is going on, being misled, and/or being unaccustomed to fighting. That margin cannot extend to someone who has planned and prepared an attack in advance, and is pre-armed.
Went to a Honda shop yesterday - one said he would curl up in a ball and then came up with the idea of dropping a bike at his house. Failing that, he said the other salesman would strip to his underpants, oil himself up, 'cos who would want to fight him !!
sounds great,lets all go naked in protest, bit chilly on the old bike though and no sharp braking, good luck ladies..
