Yesss that is the question! Most British people that I have spoken to never want to go back to Blighty, why is that so? When one speaks to a Canadian or an American, they also seem quite willing go back to their home country. Yet most British people don't. Any answers gang??!!

the honest answer... most of them are losers & have nothing to go back to or go back for! most of em' will end up jumping off a balcony in Pattaya afore too long... when the money runs out & the hoe moves on to a fresh victim...

another expert. yyaawwnn

it's SAFE here, and civilized.

The U.K. what a wonderful place.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Gun crimes soar by 35%

Staff and agencies

Thursday January 9, 2003

Guns taken out of circulation by the police. Photo: Peter J Jordan, PA.

Gun crime in England and Wales increase by 35% last year and criminals used handguns in nearly 50% more offences, Home Office figures revealed today.

Firearms were used in 9,974 recorded crimes in the 12 months to last April, up from 7,362.

The figures also show the number of crimes involving handguns has more than doubled since the ban on the weapons imposed after the Dunblane massacre from 2,636 in 1997-1998 to 5,871 in the 12 months to April last year.

The number of homicide victims killed by firearms increased 32%, or 23 cases, in the year to April 2002.

Overall there was a 1% rise in the number of homicides to 858 in England and Wales.

In all, handgun crime rose 46% year-on-year.

Unadjusted figures show overall recorded crime in the 12 months to last September rose 9.3% but the Home Office stressed that new procedures had skewed the figures.

With new recording procedures taken into account the actual overall rise was just 2%, the Home Office said.

Robbery was up 14.5% (up 13% adjusted) but from July to September, when the government's street crime initiative was in full swing, it actually fell by 10% in adjusted figures.

Domestic burglary figures increased 7.9% (or increased 5% when adjusted), figures which are likely to embarrass ministers in the wake of the lord chief justice and lord chancellor's comments on jailing burglars.

Violence against individuals was up 28% in the three months to September last year, which the Home Office adjusted to a 4% rise.

Over the same period sex offences were up 25.6%, but ministers said this figure was likely to be inflated by the new statistical changes.

Drug offences also rose 12.3% but no adjusted figures were available for this category.

There's so much money to be made here with the property boom, many ppl now have 2 mortgages on 2 propertys before they are 30, with the other one being a 'buy to let'. Buy the time they reach 50 they will be laughing all the way to the bank,

I own a lot more than two properties and I disagree with your thinking.

If you read my earlier post about "buy to let" you will see that these people instead of laughing all the way to the bank will struggling for years to try and pay off these overpriced white elephants they have been conned into buying.

If you can manage to get your two or three remaining brain cells on speaking terms you will also know the word that generally comes after boom is bust.

When I bought my properties I worked on a five year payback period, what these jump on the bandwagon types are stuck with is something like twenty five year payback period if ever.

You are an obvious expert on property so you will no doubt know that another reason for this rapid price increase of property over the past few years has been fuelled by asylum seekers.

When they first started coming in around the early 90s the government set up an agency to deal with this very problem.

This was then sub contracted out to 5 agencies who then sub contracted it out again.

Properties that are occupied by asylum seekeers are not paid by the local authorities but direct by government.

These properties are along with council houses are NOT covered by the rent act thats why slums were purchased renovated with a coat of paint and let to these people.

The government picks up the tab at anything up to £150 a week with it guaranteed for 5 years.

Some property boom.

As for some snot nosed scouser making remarks about our Thai wives that's rich for someone from a job free zone

As for some snot nosed scouser making remarks about our Thai wives that's rich for someone from a job free zone

Come off it, maerim! Scousers work very hard at tripping over the pavement and sueing the local council.

Ah yes they do work hard, fiddleing the dole, as a legacy from the 80s when

Derek "Deggsie" Hatton was running the show and they were sending out redundancy notices out to all the employees of the council by taxi, you note I did not say workers.

This now advertising executive, left office and leaving the few people in Liverpool who actually pay any with the highest council tax in the UK.

Same in Manchester with the right hon Colin Stringer when he had the keys to the petty cash box, second highest council tax in the land.

This tosser is now an MP, sort of sorry about that but I will leave you with it bye.

Manchester has debts bigger than some developing countries, thank's Colin.

This is what you get when you employ people to do nothing (you ever been in Manchester town hall?) I want these people to have a job but I don't want to pay their wages out of my tax.

Manchester has , try this, 26,000 employees on the books about on a good day about half are at work and about half of them actually do anything.

I would sack the lot and sue them for obtaining money under false pretences.

Here's a tip, if you want a decent van buy an ex council one, as the hardest thing working things on it are the flashing light and the ashtray, certainly not the occupants, only time they break out in a sweat is when it's their turn to buy a round of drinks.

I just dont see England as a failing nation and all doom and gloom,i rent out properties also and i can say that a lot of my tenants are students,most of them from the far east.

sometimes it shocks me that they will pay 10 times more than an eu student for the same course ,these people are not scroungers and many of them are very hard working and not all of them are rich.

these are the people who will drive asia or any place they choose to call home in the future,and where do they study? the UK.

so i think that when we see UK we see many perspectives depends on our outlook really.

The cost of buying a house in london is at an all time high but rents have droped as there are many people who buy to let. why all the negative comments about the refugees.I know more native scroungers and serial dole cheats , and many other types of ponces who have never done a days work in their life its true that they all know their rules and what they can get. so are you telling me that UK does not have enough scroungers of its own so needs to import them.

my comments on london and the uk were regarding the immigrant situation and the benefits that they are recieving whilst other tax paying brits are losing in out on government funding for various projects, (various examples i've seen whilst in the uk), otherwise its still the best country in the world in my opinion, i only wish i still had property there.

it's SAFE here, and civilized.

The U.K. what a wonderful place.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Gun crimes soar by 35%

Staff and agencies

Thursday January 9, 2003

etc. etc. etc......

Can we have some current figures please!

Longest period of falling crime for 106 years

Alan Travis, home affairs editor

Thursday July 22, 2004

The Guardian

The crime rate in England and Wales fell by a further 5% in the past year to produce the longest sustained drop since 1898, the Home Office reported today.

Overall crime has fallen by 39% since it peaked in 1995, with the rate of car crime and burglary halving in the past nine years, according to the latest British Crime Survey.

The risk of becoming a victim of crime has fallen from 40% in 1995 to 26% in the 12 months to March 2004, marking the lowest since the annual survey began in 1981.

Figures for offences recorded by the police also published today show a 1% rise in overall crime, including a 12% increase in violent crime, a category which includes sex offences and robberies. This set of crime figures shows that violence against the person has risen by 14%, accounting for 955,000 of the 1.1m violent offences recorded by police.

But Home Office statisticians insisted that much of the rise was due to the continuing impact of changes in recording practices and increased rates of reporting by the public. The police violent crime figures were inflated by rising rates of common assaults not involving injury.

The Home Office pointed to the findings of the "more reliable" crime survey, which asks a random sample of 40,000 people about their experiences of crime. It showed that violent crime levels were relatively stable over the past year.

The police figures include 853 murders, 190 fewer than the year before the 172 victims of the GP Harold Shipman inflated the figure.

Paul Wiles, director of Home Office research and statistics, said the figures did show that while domestic violence and "acquaintance violence" had dropped by 50% since 1995, incidents of "stranger violence" and muggings had dropped by only 5% over the same period. Nearly half the "stranger violence" incidents had involved alcohol, and it is this statistic that lies behind the government campaign on binge drinking, he said.

Results from first two weekends of the police forces' summer alcohol campaign published today show that half the pubs raided in special sting operations were found to be selling alcohol to under-18s.

Professor Wiles confirmed that the government's target announced last week, for cutting crime by 15% within the next three years, was based on the crime survey figures for 2002-03. The 5% drop in this year's figures from the survey, for 2003-04, indicates that the David Blunkett, the home secretary, has already met one-third of his target only 10 days after its announcement.

But Prof Wiles said: "We've got 5% of the 15%. Does that mean it's easy because we've got 5% in the bag? No it doesn't." He insisted that Mr Blunkett and Tony Blair had not seen today's figures before the new crime target was set.

Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrats' spokesman, last night said the idea that the home secretary had not known of the British Crime Survey figures stretched belief. "The honest and decent thing is for him to take the latest set of figures as his starting point."

Mr Blunkett said he had not received the figures until two days after the 15% target had been announced.

Prof Wiles said the sustained drop in crime since 1995 was a unique change: "It is the longest period of falling crime that anybody can remember." Claims that antisocial behaviour and fear of crime were rising were urban myths, he said.

The British Crime Survey estimates that there were 11.7m crimes against adults in the past year and 5.9m crimes recorded by the police, a 1% increase on the previous year.

Special reports

Policing crime

Gun violence in Britain

Useful links

April 2004: Home Office figures on crime in England and Wales (pdf)

British crime survey in full (pdf)

Home Office

' BULLSHIT '

A lot of the Crimes are commited by bent coppers.

' BULLSHIT '

A lot of the Crimes are commited by bent coppers.

" A lot" ?

Not too sure about falling crime rates, what I am sure about is that people don't bother reporting them anymore.

What's the point? If you are insured all the police do is give you a crime number so you can, if lucky claim off the insurance company.

It might be Ok in the leafy shires but try the cities, I for one am surprised when I park my motor and come back it is still there. It's called "twocking" (taking without owners consent) one vehicle stolen every 60 seconds.

If you are really unlucky you get it back, trashed of course but the way most of these twots do to destroy any evidence is burn it, when they have finished with it.

When I go back to the UK, as I am doing today I buy a banger to run around in, and yes it is taxed, Mot and insured.

As new cars are becoming increasingly difficult to steal what these thieves do now is carjacking, and who will argue with this lot?

One petrol station on Regent Road in Salford had to close because of the amount of car crime carried out there.

What happened is this, as it is on a dual carriage way the driver obviously was looking to the right and it's always busy, thieves some as young as ten years old would smash the passenger side window and steal anything that was on the seat.

This is just around the corner from Salford Quays development it used to be a port at the end of the Manchester ship canal the second largest in the UK, not bad really as it's only forty miles from the sea.

I have to return as a slag on DSS whom I rent a 3 bed semi detatched house to has pocketed the rent for 3 months now ( 4 tomorrow), all perfectly legal by the way, so I am selling the place with her, her new boyfriend ( no idea what number he is), her three kids all by different fathers in it to a landlord who is from Pakistan so she will have a proper landlord to put up with.

So to all those cheerleaders who say the UK is a great place I say live there and this means you as well andyinamakebelieveworld.

Vegetable rights and peace.

Longest period of falling crime for 106 years

REF.

Can we have some current figures please!

The police figures include 853 murders, 190 fewer than the year before the 172 victims of the GP Harold Shipman inflated the figure.

The British Crime Survey estimates that there were 11.7 MILLION Crimes against adults in the past year and 5.9m crimes recorded by the police, a 1% increase on the previous year.

The Home Office pointed to the findings of the "more reliable" crime survey, which asks a random sample of 40,000 people about their experiences of crime. It showed that violent crime levels were relatively stable over the past year.

The police figures include 853 murders, 190 fewer than the year before the 172 victims of the GP Harold Shipman inflated the figure.

Special reports

Policing crime

Gun violence in Britain

WOW. I AM SO PLEASED THAT I READ YOUR REPLY I HAD GOT MY SELF INTO A RIGHT TIZZ OVER CRIME.

I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW

I blame the drugs for the previous post , where can I get some for this migraine?

I blame the drugs for the previous post , where can I get some for this migraine?

After you with the paracetamol

I blame the drugs for the previous post

When taken by creative people, drugs have a very powerful effect.

Enhancing their creativity.

What did you take, Ed?

I blame the drugs for the previous post , where can I get some for this migraine?

Sorry i got a bit excited

I have gone for a little rest and now feel a lot better.

Edd

WOW.  I AM SO PLEASED THAT I READ YOUR REPLY I HAD GOT MY SELF INTO A RIGHT TIZZ OVER CRIME.

I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER NOW

Sorry, but did I say I thought the figures were good?

I was just showing they were improving rather than getting worse as Mr. Helper had implied using figures from January 2003.

It's all relative, personally I don't believe the UK is a bad place, and it's certainly not as bleak as portrayed in many of the posts in this thread.

But look on the bright side, with all the slagging the UK's getting in this thread any would be bogus asylum seeker reading it will no doubt be looking at other options!

I blame the drugs for the previous post

When taken by creative people, drugs have a very powerful effect.

Enhancing their creativity.

What did you take, Ed,...?

OH !

That coke------ a cola has a lot to answer for.

I have tried sniffing it but the bubbles play ###### with my nose.

Come on guys this thread is better than television, but the fire's going out .Perhaps I can chuck some coal on it.

Just about all agree generally that England is still a nice place to be if only it could be changed back to what ever era we as individuals prefer. Culture or the disappearance of it is mostly to blame for all the ills that are being flamed in this thread.

Possibly here's a candidate for blame.

THERE IS NO RACIST INTENT IN THIS PIECE. JUST OBSERVATION

In London following both world wars, the persecuted jewish refugee community were relocated in and around the city. The more affluent in the west and north post codes and the not so in the east and south.

Generally they blanded in well, not recognizing them until they opened they mouth...already. They kept their house and their children and themselves respectable, clean and dilligent. Harmony was the order of the day...until the handover of India in 1947 when the new persecuted, the Bangladeshi's started moving in next door to the jews, and gradually not able to cope with the unacceptable way of life the latter brought with them, the former moved out further east, west etc. Then the Pakistani's came who didn't fair too well with the Bangla's

so they moved out pushing the jewish further east, west etc. Then it was the turn of the next persecuted group of unfortunates holding a British colony passport the African/West Indian to venture over and seek their fortune, beit through endeavour or welfare, we have experience both types of fortune seeker within all the above groups, some have helped to enrich the civvy coffers, while some merely drained it, as have some of our own native dwellers. Now it is the turn of the eastern Europeans to tap this wealth source.

The point I will put forward is this, had all incoming immigrants adopted the encumbent culture rather than forcing and in cases insisting to the extent of rioting to gain it. Would there be far less change noticable in the recent past if people were forced, sorry asked to adopt the culture of the land they have chosen to call home. Secondly, would they have come over if that was a pre-requisite

There are examples that can be put forward where this was the single cause of the break-up of Britain/England.

Already the most popular name in the phone book is Patel, no longer smith. All this is ok if everyone accepts the changes and concedes that in time the typical British (English) face will be coloured to some degree. Whether he will be wearing a turban, or wearing a sari who knows. This however must prevail. When a first world country is occupied by mostly third world civilians, does it not then become third world.

Here in Thailand the culture is respected and not interfered with by 'guests' but infiltration is evident - the troubled south, the land rich Indians and the Islam presence in general, who insist on bringing their own culture, beliefs and practises to this land. In time will bhuddism disappear under the boot of fundamentlism???

There, that's enough coal

But for now I'm off down the pub

Teach

And now that almost every London pub has a Thai resturant within the standard order at the bar is now "a pint of lager-Guv" and a"gen kai keo wan-pet mak-mate"

All part hopefully in positively contributing towards our progressive and understanding attitude to each other cultures which can only be good for the promoting of civilised values between us all in our modern society

I am sure it only a matter of time before we will be able to pick up a "ploughmans "with Chiang mai buffalo cheese and onions (in french -of course)and maybe some nice little Issan pickles

....thank god its saturday

ENGLAND it is not so bad realy

The sun is shining, its 70 F . its 1545 and we are just leaving to go to a Bar-B-Q with all our Thai friends in Wigan (no jokes about Wigan).

the only thing to make it better would be for it to be in Thailand.

Edd

and maybe some nice little Issan pickles

That's a nice turn of phrase for those upcountry lovelies Rin

ENGLAND    it is not so bad realy

The sun is shining, its 70 F . its 1545 and we are just leaving to go to a Bar-B-Q with all our Thai friends in Wigan (no jokes about Wigan).

the only thing to make it better would be for it to be in Thailand.     

Edd

Your quality of life in England depends on your quality of life.

My brother doesn't moan about it because he is very good looking, has a great job in the city, a brand new sports car, luxury apartment and a girlfriend who loves him.

Last time I went back for a couple of months I was, funnily enough, working at a pub with a Thai restaurant upstairs... I enjoyed it too but only because I knew it was temporary.

Last time I went back for a couple of months I was, funnily enough, working at a pub with a Thai restaurant upstairs... I enjoyed it too but only because I knew it was temporary.

Blimey , sounds like Wokingham?!

My brother doesn't moan about it because he is very good looking, has a great job in the city, a brand new sports car, luxury apartment and a girlfriend who loves him.

Black sheep of the family, Scampy?

ENGLAND    it is not so bad realy

The sun is shining, its 70 F . its 1545 and we are just leaving to go to a Bar-B-Q with all our Thai friends in Wigan (no jokes about Wigan).

the only thing to make it better would be for it to be in Thailand.     

Edd

Your quality of life in England depends on your quality of life.

My brother doesn't moan about it because he is very good looking, has a great job in the city, a brand new sports car, luxury apartment and a girlfriend who loves him.

Last time I went back for a couple of months I was, funnily enough, working at a pub with a Thai restaurant upstairs... I enjoyed it too but only because I knew it was temporary.

Not sure if I missed something there Scamp, but I would suspect your quality of life is a direct function of your quality of life wherever you might live.