We still need a lot more of these
As we know, sub-postmasters are in the frontline against violent crime.
Last January, we blogged the shocking murder of Craig Hodson-Walker during an armed robbery on his family's post office/general store in the Midlands. Later the same month we blogged another armed robbery on a post office in Berkshire during which the postmaster was badly beaten.
Now today, BOM's old friend the Village Postmaster has been robbed by three thugs who broke into his shop in the early hours of this morning. He and his wife were woken by the shop's alarm system and actually interrupted the raid. But far from fleeing, the robbers responded with threats and violence.
The VP will doubtless blog this grim experience himself, once he's got his shop back in operation (itself no small matter), but we are feeling very angry.
Why should responsible law-abiding citizens have to tolerate violent scumbags smashing down the door and helping themselves? Why should they have to accept being threatened in their own homes?
We demand a criminal justice system that protects us against this. We demand a justice system where punishment for serious crime is far more severe.
The reason is very simple: with low detection rates (25% or less), unless the punishment for those who do get caught is severe, there is no deterrence.
And we also want three-strikes-and-you're-out. As we blogged here, the evidence is that, once anyone has been convicted three times, there's a greater than 50% chance of him reoffending within two years of release. Indeed, for released prisoners, the reoffending rate is 65%. It is outrageous that the law-abiding majority have to accept a risk like that in the name of... well, what?
We'll be following the police investigation into the Postmaster's robbery very closely, and let's hope the police can track down those responsible before they do it again (you can bet this was not a first offence).
Also, the trial of those accused of murdering Craig Hodson-Walker is currently underway. If there are convictions, we will expect these people to be locked away for ever.
No ifs, no buts.
PS The latest outburst by Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, precisely illustrates why we've got into this mess. He reckons the Tories' plan to replace the notorious European Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights will bring "shame" on Britain. WTF? We'd always imagined the DPP's job was banging up bad guys, not politicking for "human rights". Anyone would think Starmer was a former Human Rights Lawyer of the Year. Why can't we have prosecutors who actually want to prosecute?
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