Monday 14 February 2011

No Longer Just A ‘Dog Eat Dog’ World…

The scene:
Michael, who lives with his family nearby, is understood to have been kicking a football around with Roxy and a man on wasteland near to St Margaret Ward Primary School next to Catterick Avenue.

A man with a pit bull-type dog arrived at the scene and the animals are believed to have clashed. It led to a scuffle between the owner and the man with Michael.

The pit bull owner is believed to have left the scene but returned later by car. By that time, the man Michael was with is thought to have left.

The dog owner and Michael are then believed to have argued before the teenager was stabbed. He suffered a single wound in the back. Roxy is then understood to have been knifed as she tried to protect Michael, a year nine pupil at Blessed Thomas Holford School in Altrincham.
The public reaction:
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: 'It's unbelievable, really. How could someone do that to a 13-year-old boy? I hope they find out who did it.'
The official police line:
Chief Supt Mark Roberts said: 'I can understand that this incident will have caused alarm in the community, as incidents like this are rare. Nevertheless, we have a very robust investigation with positive lines of inquiry. We have spoken to a number of people, both to get information from them to assist our inquiry and provide reassurance. The wider community in the area should not be concerned about their own safety.'
Not ‘thankfully rare’? Or would that be stretching things too far, perhaps?

And just how is it that the public ‘should not be concerned for their own safety’? You have a man at large who thinks nothing of settling a scuffle between two pets with a knife hours later, with apparently no fear of the law.

How can something like that not alarm the community?

8 comments:

James Higham said...

apparently no fear of the law

And that is the issue in a country of laws.

Kevin B said...

"... a very robust investigation .." eh. That would be robust like the settled science the Hockey team keep boasting of. If I was you plod, I'd look for a better piece of bafflegab.

Incidently, the Daily mail reporter who wrote that story needs a clip round the ear from an old Fleet St hand, since it was about as understandable as a government press release. Who was A Man and did he have anything to do with A (nother) man?

Zaphod said...

The authorities are increasingly focused on people's perception of crime, rather than crime itself. It's more manageable. It can be wound up and down to suit political need.

Solving crime takes work and skill, but reassuring people just involves empty platitudes and buzz-words. To frighten people when budget increases are due, they have an array of bogeymen to refer to.

Anonymous said...

So many laws...so little enforcement.

Lynne said...

What would Val McDermid do?

selsey.steve said...

I was a Police Officer (upper case used advisedly) for 28 years.
The double-speaking prat-in-a-uniform who came out with that gobbeldygook deserves to be fired, after a damned good kicking!

blueknight said...

So many laws...so little enforcement.

The ones that do get to Court only get a 'smack on the wrist'. There is no deterrent

JuliaM said...

"And that is the issue in a country of laws."

Indeed. He either doesn't fear capture, or the punishment. Neither makes me feel safer.

"...the Daily mail reporter who wrote that story needs a clip round the ear from an old Fleet St hand, since it was about as understandable as a government press release. Who was A Man and did he have anything to do with A (nother) man?"

My MONA sense started tingling, particularly when there was no description of the suspect...

"The authorities are increasingly focused on people's perception of crime, rather than crime itself."

Unfortunately for them, people are starting to see through it. Just not enough of them. Yet.

"The double-speaking prat-in-a-uniform who came out with that gobbeldygook deserves to be fired..."

He's no doubt been on a training course for that.