More Recycled Immigrant Crime Figures

There was so much else I wanted to write about today - Tranmere and Hertha Berlin are both second in their respective league tables, I've got a trip to the San Siro lined up for next week, and Joni Mitchell has a new album out.

However, the Mail continues to play the immigration card as election fever hots up. To be fair, the story was also covered in other papers, notably the Telegraph but I want to kick the DM/Mail on Sunday because like Mount Everest, it is there.

Today's piece of dodgy statistics centres on the figures for crime in London. Again, their use of these figures is carefully crafted to extract maximum fear and loathing. It does not matter that the figures actually tell a different story. Again Iwould recommend the analysis of 5 Chinese Crackers here and in other earlier posts on that blog.

The story can be found here.

A fifth of London crimes committed by Poles By JAMES SLACK

I covered the misuse of stats in earlier rantings. This latest story refers to the Cambridgeshire story and in my post of 14th August I picked apart a similar scare story about foreigners committing crime in the capital. As I said then, when looking at the ethnicity of London:

• Wikipedia quotes the last Census of 2001 thus:In the 2001 census, 71.15% of these seven and a half million people classed their ethnic group as white (classified as White British (59.79%), White Irish (3.07%) or "Other White" (8.29%, mostly Polish, Greek Cypriot, Italian and French)), 12.09% as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other South Asian ethnicities), 10.91% as Black (around 7% as Black African, 4.79% as Black Caribbean, 0.84% as "Other Black"), 3.15% as mixed race, 1.12% as Chinese and 1.58% as other (mostly Filipino, Japanese, and Vietnamese). 21.8% of inhabitants were born outside the European Union. The Irish, from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, number approximately 200,000, as do the Scots and Welsh combined. Although, Wikipedia can sometimes be less than accurate, it is clear that, allowing for an increase in the last 6 years after the entry of other countries into the EU, the figure of 30% is a good starting point.

This does not take into account the increase in migration (as we are constantly hectored about by the DM and allies) and the number of people visiting the city from overseas. I remember my last visit to London and it took about 10 attempts before I managed to collar a native Londoner for directions. All other inquiries were met with a sheepish, 'I'm lost too!' or 'I'm from Country X'.
Therefore the figures are blatantly being exploited to pander to the readership. Theheadline about Poles is not even an accurate reading of the figures. Do Mail journalists understand mathematics? As I have said before, I do not believe that playing the race card will reap dividends as seen with the terrible trio of Hague, Howard and Duncan-Smith. I do hope this is the case, and that they will merely preach to the converted, or drive them into the arms of the UKIP or BNP.

The Telegraph helpfully publishes a league table for the crimes! This was not the kind of table I had in mind this morning! The DM at the time of writing had not conjured up any reaction from its readers, but the DT did have the usual predictable comments. However, hats off to Dr. Keith Anderson of Durham Business School for his pertinent point,

• The article contains a statistical oversight, and a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts by the Conservatives. The statistical oversight is to take no account of the base-line figure. From my (mercifully rare) travels on the Tube, I would guess that at least half the people in London at any one time are foreigners. If the true proportion is anything more than 20%, then the foreigners are actually more law-abiding than Londoners are. The rather more sinister misrepresentation of the facts by the shadow immigration minister is to describe people from Eastern Europe as immigrants. These people have the right to live and work here, just as we have the right to go and live in Poland if we want. They have effectively been redefined as not really immigrants at all. Like it or not, this is part and parcel of belonging to the EU. Damian Green implies that we can somehow control EU 'immigration' without leaving the EU. But this is a bullet his party is not prepared to bite.Posted by Dr. Keith Anderson

The unpalatable fact for many is that these figures mean that most crime is committed by the good old British citizens. Of course, most of those reading and commenting on these devious outpourings by James Slack and his ilk, will have no regard for the truth. Like privately funded researchers their conclusions have been made before the facts are known, and the story modelled to suit the intended outcome.

The depressing thing is that this is not the first such example and it will not be the last. To Mr Slack and his fellow writers I refer you to John Lennon's question, 'How do you sleep at night?'

UPDATE
The Mail's website has now amended the headline to 'immigrants' in place of 'Poles' as they've suddenly realised it was total crap.
UPDATE: The Sequel (24th September)
some of the comments that have now appeared are most encouraging. See what happens when you allow free speech, moderators of the DM? Even the normally strange Mark, Poplar makes a good point, and doesn't mention his religious school education.

• Presumably the term foreigner in this context doesn't include immigrants who have since been naturalised. I am not sure what percentage people living in London is non-British. These figures can only indicate whether foreigners commit more or less crime than the British if appropriate comparisons are made.- Mark, Poplar London England
• I can see how you mention the Poles in this article because they are the number one offenders. It stands to reason that the number one offender is going to be mentioned. That makes sense. But why is it always that Romanians get pegged. They are mentioned as fifth. What happened to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th?- Rick, UK
• Nice job with the numbers there... 1/5 of crimes are committed by foreign nationals... out of those, 10 percent could be Poles. But don't let the facts get in the way of a sensational headline.- Statistician, Upper Uncton

The completely suspicious self-appointed vigilante, Albert also spews forth:

• They might "seek to deport Foreign Nationals" but NuLabs own laws make it impossible, and the Home Office is fully aware of that fact!- Albert Hurwood, National Vigilante Organisation., Corby, Northants, UK

His website (Navigor) is very interesting and if you google him you will see allegations of links to the BNP.

• They are not criminals, according to our Marxist government, they are victims of society who can be cured. It is the honest law abiding people that are to blame.- Douglas, Swansea

This is just insane. Has this man ever read Karl Marx. answer begins with 'N' and ends with 'O'.

FINALLY, the great Polish polymath, Franciszek makes his debut in the Mail:

• Again, the figures back up the fact that foreigners are more law abiding than the indigenous population.- Franciscek Weems,, Lodz, Poland

His newly found relative Jacqui, known in Poland as osioł, must be very proud.

Keeping Feet on the Ground

Court raps 'draconian' train firm who prosecuted girl for resting her feet on seat
If she had been a 6ft yob, they would not have taken her to court, says father

Daily Mail 4th September 2007

This is a hard one as Margi Clarke said to David Shepherd.

It has even split the comments section of the DM. Perhaps the right position is in the centre ground. (Eric sits on fence shock).

On Merseyrail trains there was always a sign warning commuters to 'Please mind your head'. This invariably became 'Fleas in your head' once one enterprising individual and subsequent disciples had spotted the comic potential of scratching off a few parts of the sticker.

For some time now, similar signs have been present, warning of the consequences of anti-social behaviour on trains. Such misdemeanours include litter dropping and putting feet on seats. Both are particular bug bears of mine for they are unjustifiable offences. Whereas (in rare cases) crimes such as theft, assault, even murder, may be argued as 'for the greater good' or mitigated, trivial offences do not enjoy this position. I have to clarify here that I am not talking here of situations where the law already affords a defence or takes on board mitigation (domestic violence, self-defence) nor do I seek to justify the crimes myself. I simply set out the premise that it is possible for certain scenarios to enable a person to argue or excuse the action (the starving shoplifter; the anti-nuclear weapons vandal; the Poll Tax refuseniks). However, in these cases, the person needs to be willing to accept the consequences.

Has anyone ever put forward an arguable case for littering ('well, it creates work for street cleaners' aside)? Anti-social is such a big issue because it is avoidable and boils down to the I don't give a shit about society people. Now that even the post-Thatcherite Tories concede there is such a thing as society (Ancram eat your heart out) it does matter.

This (eventually) brings us to the present and Miss Kathleen Jennings. Whilst it does seem somewhat Draconian, it is to be noted that Merseyrail pointed out in an earlier case (Babiker Fadol) that a fine was not appropriate as

"the imposition of fixed penalty fines for the offence would require an Act Of Parliament."

and there have been hundreds of other prosecutions.

The BBC also covered the policy thus:

Merseyrail is playing recorded messages and flashing up warnings on digital screens in trains.
Guards are also being fitted with mini head cameras to catch offenders.
Merseyrail says it plans to take out private prosecutions after guards recorded more than 300 bylaw offences since February.

Offences including smoking, putting feet and shoes on seats and even singing too loudly. Patrick Verwer, Managing Director of Merseyrail, said: "It may seem like a minor offence but putting feet on seats and smoking on trains is actually very annoying for a lot of passengers."

Indeed Merseyrail made the following statement about the legal process:

"Prosecution will be based on the existing railway byelaws which apply across the UK under the section which covers “unacceptable behaviour” (Byelaw 6) after a specific protocol was agreed with Liverpool Magistrates Court."

The defendant's father raises a good point regarding the enforcement of the law. Would they have acted so diligently if the perpetrator was a large male or in a drunken group. Maybe Merseyrail should release details as to other prosecutions as they seem to have CCTV evidence. This may generate more confidence. Many f us have seen inaction on trains against fare dodgers and loutish behaviour. Boris Johnson says we should take the matter on ourselves but would everyone risk an assault (however low that risk) for a trivial matter?

Therefore there was clearly no actual defence (or justification) here. What the Magistrates in Chester appear to be saying is that they consider the bringing of the case so over zealous that only an absolute discharge should be given. Interesting to contrast the case with the one involving Mr Fadol. Ignoring the fact that he has a foreign sounding name, he seems to have had his feet on the seat for a longer period (if Miss Jennings is to be taken at face value) and does not have a glittering teaching career ahead of him. Nor is he known to have helped in youth organisations as her solicitor (who also represented Mr Fadol) was quick to tell the court.

This is slightly worrying in that it seems to suggest a two tier approach to justice. Would it be right to treat a non-academic, unemployed youth of the same age? This is often a perception of some sentencing for similar offences.

Let's consider some of the DM comments. My comments/bile in blue as usual.

At last we're seeing some common sense by the courts throwing out ridiculous charges brought by waste of spacers like the CPS and now MerseyRail. Let's hope there's more like this ruling coming from the courts in the future to stop this.- Mike, Alicante, Spain

Mike pontificates from the beach as usual..........

I will make absolutely certain that neither I nor any members of my family will ever use this company's services or facilities. What a disgusting, despicable, vile company.- Robert Ducksworth, England

Would you want to be a member of Mr. D's family? Free choice? Not on your nelly. Not seen some of the vile and disgusting things people have on the soles of their shoes, man?

Disrespectful and selfish people put their dirty feet and shoes on seats all the time in UK, regardless of the fact that other passengers will have to sit on them. It's just another example of the declining standards of behaviour in UK caused by the liberal attitudes of this appalling Labour government. Prosecution may be extreme but it's clear that the girl and her family are indicative of the malaise: do what you like and don't care!- Dean, Vienna, Austria

I've travelled across Austria and its neighbouring countries and noticed there is, generally, a difference in attitude. Bet Dean is an ex pat blaming Labour for everything because the country was perfect before May 1st 1997. He gets today's award for crass political point scoring whilst not even being here. Congratulations Dean and Guten Nacht Wien.

Others are more rational.

This judgement will send out the wrong signals, next thing we will find all kinds of people will end up putting their feet on seats knowing they will not be find for doing so. The chances of doing away with the don`t care attitude of certain individuals stands no chance of succeeding when you get cases like this, after all we are supposed to be curbing the yob culture or are we! As always in this country the law (if you can call it that) always benefits the perpetrator.- Alf, Liverpool, Merseyside

I agree that this should never have gone to court but I would expect someone so well educated and with such prospects to have enough sense not to put their feet on a seat at all. This is exactly the sort of seeming trivial behaviour that we're all expected to tolerate now and which in so many cases leads to more serious incursions. I'm not suggesting that this would turn her into a criminal but would she put feet up with shoes on indoors? This is someone who will be teaching children?- Louise Leeks, Harwich UK

Finally, this from a similar DM story when the case was coming to court.

Let's have a 'feet up on the seats day' in support, not just of this young lady but all those 250 people who have been prosecuted by Merseyrail under this pathetic law. As for the CCTV headcams, these are a total invasion of privacy for passengers.- Les, Southport, England

Well, Les let's hope you get you trousers covered in dog shit the next time you use the Northern Line to Southport. I get the feeling he never does. Absolute moron.

Perhaps the best I can say is that I was immediately reminded of The Times invoking Alexander Pope in regard to the Rolling Stones imprisonment in 1967. Anyway, don't do it again. We'll be watching! And the messageshould go out to all regardless of size or qualifications.

cartoon copyright Philip Spence

Daily Mail : Another Foreigners Story

(left) Was Jack The Ripper Polish?

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.
—Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

When I started this blog I convinced myself that it wouldn't turn into a rant against the evil Daily Mail and its barking mad readers. However, as I am a masochist I always read the DM online. In the past I was reliant upon seeing someone else's copy, but now I am affected by the radiation emanating from its cyber version.

Today, another story about foreign criminals rears its ugly head. The Mail helpfully included a league table of nationalities committing crime in the capital. It also had a clip art picture of a masked burglar in case any reader had any doubts as to what constitutes this crime.

I am trying to find the exact figures for the number of foreign nationals living in London in 2007 but there appear to be conflicting statistics. It is quite clear, however, that the number is a lot higher than the national figure. This is to be expected in any capital or major city, be it Paris, Rome or Sydney.



Wikipedia quotes the last Census of 2001 thus:


In the 2001 census, 71.15% of these seven and a half million people classed their ethnic group as white (classified as White British (59.79%), White Irish (3.07%) or "Other White" (8.29%, mostly Polish, Greek Cypriot, Italian and French)), 12.09% as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other South Asian ethnicities), 10.91% as Black (around 7% as Black African, 4.79% as Black Caribbean, 0.84% as "Other Black"), 3.15% as mixed race, 1.12% as Chinese and 1.58% as other (mostly Filipino, Japanese, and Vietnamese). 21.8% of inhabitants were born outside the European Union. The Irish, from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, number approximately 200,000, as do the Scots and Welsh combined.



Although, Wikipedi can sometimes be less than accurate, it is clear that, allowing for an increase in the last 6 years after the entry of other countries into the EU, the figure of 30% is a good starting point.

Therefore, proportionally, the number of crimes committed is lower than expected. There are other factors to be taken into account such as social conditions. Whilst this in no way condones criminality, it is well-known that certain types of crime occur more predominately in certain areas. Indeed, it is often the poorer people who are the victims; not many thieves are Robin Hood devotees.




Foreigners commit 20 per cent of crime in London, say police

14th August 2007



More than one in five crimes committed in London in the first six months of this year were carried out by a foreign citizen, new police figures have revealed.
During the period there were 22,793 crimes in the capital for which a foreign national has been charged.

More than a quarter were violent offences, ranging from murder to assault. There were also nearly 6,000 drug offences, 414 sex crimes, 522 robberies and almost 1,000 burglaries.
The highest number of offences were carried out by Poles, charged with 2,310 crimes between the start of January and the end of June.

Jamaicans, Irish nationals, Somalians and Romanians - accused of more than 1,000 crimes - had the next worst levels of offending.

The figures, released by the Met under the Freedom of Information Act, will fuel debate about the Government's immigration policy.
Ministers insist the large influx of foreign nationals has significant economic benefits, despite concerns about the pressure on services.

But shadow immigration minister Damien Green described today's figures as disturbing.
"This is a fairly shocking side effect of the lack of control of our borders and the sheer numbers of people coming to Britain," he said.

The new statistics cover the number arrested and charged for "notifiable offences" - those which are more serious - and show a total of 106,678 crimes.
Of these, 82,459 were committed by Britons with a further 1,426 carried by people of "unknown" nationality, leaving foreign nationals responsible for the remaining offences.
Seven EU members - Poland, Ireland, Romania, Lithuania, France, Portugal and Italy, all of whose citizens are free to travel to Britain - feature in a list of the 20 nationalities responsible for the highest number of offences.

Among the Poles, 583 were charged with violent crimes, 32 with sex offences, 201 with burglary, 635 with theft or handling and 626 with drug offences.
Drug crime accounted for around half the Italian and French totals, while the Irish were responsible for the highest level of burglary with 403 recorded offences.
The main crime committed by Romanians, whose working rights in the UK are severely restricted, was theft or handling with 695 such offences.
Among non-EU citizens, Jamaicans have the highest level of offending with 1,750 crimes during the six month period covered by the figures.

Of these, 770 were drug offences, while there were also 425 violent crimes, 28 sex offences and 42 robberies by Jamaican passport holders.
The worst fraud total was recorded by Nigerians, with 275 crimes, while Somalian nationals were also among the most frequent offenders.

The Met's decision to begin recording the nationality of offenders follows a Home Office request made after the row last year over the Government's failure to consider more than 1,000 foreign national prisoners for deportation.


Then let the dogs out...................................(my snide remarks are in bold in parentheseis)

Anyone pointing out the many disadvantages of the Government's immigration policy is routinely pilloried as a racist. By preventing a national debate on this issue the Government is only storing up future problems. All it will take is a serious recession and the far right parties will have a field day. This Government overestimates British tolerance and underestimates the speed at which tipping points are reached. A Government that was more aware of British, European and World history, as well as some of the more recent findings of the social sciences, would adopt a far more cautious approach. It is not even true to say that we have always been tolerant. We only became so towards the end of the 19th century and even then only in a limited way. Most of the changes that have taken place since WWII have only just about managed to stay on the right side of the tipping point. So far, so good but professional gamblers know when to quit before their luck runs out.-

Mark, Poplar London England

(This pillock from London, England is a regular with his little Englander bile. He seems to imply that we should return to the middle of the 19th Century before our 'tolerance' got the better of us. What planet is this lunatic on?)

I am so glad at last somebody has dared speak the truth. But we are still letting them flood into the country, when are we going to learn.- Jacqui Weems, Southampton

(There's no show without Punch! When are you going to learn to use the correct PUNCTUATION, Jacqui?)

I can't wait for Richard Littlejohn to get his teeth into this!- Steve, Birmingham

(Littlejohn is probably wetting his thermal underwear at the very thought. Steve, next time I go to Birmingham, please stand near me so I can laugh and point at you.)


I feel better now.

Another foreigner in Britain?

The Mail also had a story which also appeared in the Guardian (see below). Rather interestingly, whereas the crime figures story had 22 cooments from salivating mongrels, there were no comments about the plight of immigrant workers. A collective "Fuck 'em" could be heard from the DM rottweilers.

Gangmaster shut down for mistreating workers

August 14, 2007 Guardian Unlimited

Forty Bulgarian workers were forced to scavenge for food in fields when their Cornish gangmaster failed to pay them for more than a month, it emerged today.

The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) said it had revoked the licence of Baltic Work Team Ltd, of Redruth, after finding a "significant threat to the health and welfare of employees".
"They had to scratch around in the fields to find things to eat, there were improper reductions and we had to act because of the threats the firm was making to the workers," said the GLA chairman, Paul Whitehouse.

He told the BBC's Farming Today that the "terrified" workers were being threatened by their employer with being sent back to Bulgaria if they did not pay a £100 deposit.
"It is unacceptable that the workers were left to scavenge in fields for food as they had not been paid for 35 days," Mr Whitehouse said. "It was only through the intervention of the GLA that the workers finally got their money."

The firm had already had its licence revoked but was allowed to continue trading until August 24 at an appeal hearing. The decision to revoke the licence with immediate effect came after a second investigation into the firm.

"Baltic must stop trading immediately. I find it incredulous that a business who had been given the chance at the appeal hearing to put their house in order and re-apply for a new licence would not take this opportunity," Mr Whitehouse said.

Baltic Work Team Ltd has a right of appeal against the revocation of its licence.
Anyone who supplies workers to the agriculture, shellfish gathering, food and drink processing or packaging sectors in the UK needs to be licensed by the GLA or they risk prosecution and up to 10 years in prison.

It is also an offence to use labour supplied by an unlicensed gangmaster in GLA-regulated sectors. The maximum penalty is a £5,000 fine and six months in prison. The legislation was introduced last year.