The best of England's new "Let's Keep Crime Down" campaign
By Ryan Block 
posted November 9th 2005 10:20AM
posted November 9th 2005 10:20AM
Engadget editors, for instance.
So the Home Office crime prevention department in the UK just launched this three-year "Let's Keep Crime Down"
campaign with a specific bend on consumer electronics and portables to, um, help reduce crime. So without further ado,
may we present our picks for the best of "Let's Keep Crime Down"...
[Thanks, Adrian]
Wonder which phone they used for this ad?
How’d they get a picture of Engadget HQ?
How is that common sense? It may be indeed. But it is the role of the govt to stop crime by either arresting the criminals or in a smarter ways avoiding situations of total despair that may lead to this behaviour (like handing free ipods to poor "chavs" instead of paying for expensive advertising campaign :-) )
What's next? "You're young, you're beautiful? Wear a potato bag or you might get raped." Guess what.. it might work. Does it make it right? Sure hiding your things might prevent people from knowing you have them. It doesn't solve the problem at all, unless the you believe the problem is the final act of stealing.
Right, I feel I'm going to have to comment on this now a few daft yanks have piped up about their "God Given Right" as I hear so often when I'm over 'there':
Comments like "because I walk around armed. Just like all good citizens should" are very insulting, just like me calling an NRA member "a poor excuse for a church go-er because he's willing to kill another man" #48 Sean has it right! 30 times more likely to get shot in the US than in the UK, and yes, we do have gun crime but it still makes the news when it happens, it only makes the news in the US when your kids "STEAL" your gun and takes it to school for bit of target practice.
I would also really like to point out that you probably don't carry it in you fists all day long (though judging by some comments by the toters, you probably do), if you drawn down upon, you better hope you can get it out of its holster in time, or what are you going to do? 60 paces, turn and draw at dawn?
#44 please think of how few "accidental deaths related to gun" would occur if "good citizens" like your self didn't have them laying arround.
How about the statistics from the US govt db for the number of kids killed by guns? Try 54% of childeren killed by guns each year in the US are the result of parents shooting at what they believed was a break and enter.
While I just find it facinating that a developed country like the US (although 20% Illiteracy level is pretty 3rd world by my standards) would have the number of murders, gun related deaths and level of crime equal to that of third world and developing countries.
I love the US and Americans, don't get me wrong, I may poke fun from time to time but I do respect the rights and beliefs of Americans, hell, I married one.
But you really have to think about comments related to the rest of the world, the UK does not want it's gun related deaths rising by 1800%, nor it's gun related crime increasing with the use of stolen guns.
Oh and people like #18 - otto, ask your nearst ex-soldier what he sees in his mind every night when he tries to sleep with the visual death of a man at the end of his sight. A $300 gadget is not worth it. Neither is your kids life if it ends in a shoot out. (which happens all too often)
The law is far to lax in the UK admitingly, but the type of increasing crime here in the UK is a reflection of the US style crime culture, the fact that most other petty crime is decreasing here is a good sign.
Take a good, long hard look down that barrel (Please unload first, obvious to "most") and think about how it could end if someone was to steal that pistol and point it at your mother... do you really want that.
Sincerly,
Paulo
Paulo,
You don't think people have a natural right to defend themselves. So when someone starts beating you, according to your beliefs you should stand there and take it without resistance.
This whole debate boils down to whether or not you think people who follow laws should be at a disadvantage to those who don't.
You are under the mistaken impression that laws will protect you. Laws do not stop criminals from comitting crimes. Therefor laws restricting guns only disarm law-abiding citizens, leaving criminals armed and law-abiding citizens disarmed.
Also, unless you have a personal bodyguard don't expect the police to protect you. Police exist to arrest and punish people once the law is broken, i.e. after a criminal has imposed thier will on you.
I know crime is a very important issue, and be it not for us to deny that discussion in general, but damn, can't you guys just have a little fun? Keep it on topic...
QUOTE: "Yes, my life is worth more than that. But frankly, I don't consider that theirs is. So somebody trying to rob me or somebody near me will also have to deal with a bullet punching a hole through their chest, because I walk around armed. Just like all good citizens should.
Oh wait, guns are banned in the UK, right? Sorry, I guess it sucks to be you, dude."
...So you shoot him, claim self defense and get off scott-free. In the meantime, his mates are planning revenge on you and waiting for the right moment to jump you in the street probably beat you to a pulp and then shoot you in the stomach. Then our mates will go after his mates, and so the story goes on.
Quote: "You don't think people have a natural right to defend themselves. So when someone starts beating you, according to your beliefs you should stand there and take it without resistance. "
You can't compare a gun which is lethal in a second to being beaten up. I've been mugged and beaten up before, and I've also managed to fight off and avoid muggers. I'm sure it's still very difficult to get hold of a gun in the UK small enough to conceal and if you were caught with one the penalties would be big which is obviously enough to make criminals think twice about carrying a gun because generally they don't carry one.
I'm 22, I've lived in England all my life, the only time I've ever seen a hand gun is on TV.
Glyn
Glyn,
"I've been mugged and beaten up before"
Gee, maybe if you had the rights we enjoy in the US this could have been prevented. Also, just because you have a gun doesn't mean you need to shoot someone with it to stop whatever nefarious action they are comitting.
#52 Ryan, you're right, I was on my soap box and it did stray to the issue of gun control.
I think this is a great campaign. Reminding people not to make them selves look like total knobs by flashing a gadget. It's a tool folks, be it iPod, phone, PDA etc, it's there to do a job, not to help you look cool....
I love the "keep it in your pants" ad's, what better way of reminding people that showing off your bits is likely to get a chav real self-conscious and want to add another Burberry neon light to the chassis of his car... and he's going to need the profits of an "aquired" iPod to pay for it.
I would like to say though, I do have the right to defend myself, I will run (I may be big, but I'm not stupid) when I can and fight when I can't run, but if I get mugged for showing off my latest gadget, it's my own fault, plus I get to look at engadget.com to look for a brand spanking new replacement :)
Ryan, great reading btw.
Kindest regards,
Paulo
Jesus christ, you gun-toting Yanks are fucking stupid. You idiotic red-state red-necked fuckwits. Can you not see that your decision to walk around town with a gun in your belt means that the criminals now have to get similarly armed.
The reason gun crime is lower in the UK is because Mr Mugger doesn't have to go out there tooled up with an automatic. Sure, it doesn't stop muggings from happening; but it *does* make those muggings non-lethal. It's not ideal, but it sure beats being killed.
Until you lot of blinkered sister-shagging bible-bashing fools run your two collective brain cells together and spot this; those '30 times more likely' statistics are going to remain.
Right as much fun as bit of the old UK - USA argument is, I want to go back to the very first point.
I also live in Brighton, that guy has obviosuly never been to Moulscombe. There are chavs aplenty, except they like to be called scoomers, which is great because the obvious comeback is scummers.
Sark - the tax dodging student with new mobile phone and mp3 player.
P.S In general all Americans are wrong.
P.P.S All generalisations are false :P
LMAO @ the use of the word ''chav'' in these comments. Seriously guys, do you really think its 17yr old spotty white kids in novas doin this ?.
Nosiree, try walkin past a gang of ten black kids in hoods and hats with ur mobile out in London. say goodbye to ur lovely RAZR , or k700 (which is the most popular target atm.
anywho , this campaign is really good i think. As we all know , your typical iPod/mobile user isnt exactly ''tech-savvie'' shall we say. So the mums, kids, grandparents who have all bought/been given an iPod/mp3player/fancy mobile need to be told about how desirable these are to the criminal element, and any measures that prevent theft are OK in my books.
LMAO @ the use of the word ''chav'' in these comments. Seriously guys, do you really think its 17yr old spotty white kids in novas doin this ?.
Nosiree, try walkin past a gang of ten black kids in hoods and hats with ur mobile out in London. say goodbye to ur lovely RAZR , or k700 (which is the most popular target atm.
anywho , this campaign is really good i think. As we all know , your typical iPod/mobile user isnt exactly ''tech-savvie'' shall we say. So the mums, kids, grandparents who have all bought/been given an iPod/mp3player/fancy mobile need to be told about how desirable these are to the criminal element, and any measures that prevent theft are OK in my books.
gotta love the ads above, but the best ads in the uk at the moment are the TFL 'don't die before you've lived' campaigns... for example 'the betrayal' feat scott smith
link to video - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/press-releases/press-releases-content.asp?prID=26#ad
cant forget the mtv cribs girl one either, always crack me up when they show up in the trailers of a film
#52 - spitr0ast,
Most of us have been using the term 'chav' very loosely.
The sort of people who go jacking other people shiny new gadgets are the sort of people who think wearing over-designed trainers, hoodies, baseball cap and chunky jewelery is still hard and cool and still in fashion (or that it was ever in fashion at all). The only problem is, it has taken us 10 odd years to come up with a name to describe them, and 'chav' is just perfect.
So if I also see anyway 'body-from-baywatch-face-from-crimewatch' teenage girls pushing her pram up the high street in some pink tracksuit that doesn't fit while her massive hoop-earings swing from side to side, I can immediatly point and shout "CHAV!". Great fun. (though, I make sure I'm not noticed)
[sigh] You already turned it into an anti-gun rights troll. Dont you think the criminals will have guns irregardless of the law? The best we can do is make it harder to get automatics.
QUOTE: Jesus christ, you gun-toting Yanks are fucking stupid. You idiotic red-state red-necked fuckwits. Can you not see that your decision to walk around town with a gun in your belt means that the criminals now have to get similarly armed.
The reason gun crime is lower in the UK is because Mr Mugger doesn't have to go out there tooled up with an automatic. Sure, it doesn't stop muggings from happening; but it *does* make those muggings non-lethal. It's not ideal, but it sure beats being killed.
Until you lot of blinkered sister-shagging bible-bashing fools run your two collective brain cells together and spot this; those '30 times more likely' statistics are going to remain.
QOUTE:
Hmm, I love it, Someone whos probably never been to or know anyone from America wants to insult us. Also, Both of the last US presidental elections have been by a *roughly* 48-50 divide. Also, our population is 300 million, the UK's is 60 million. Countries with such differing populations(we have a lot of mexicans here in the US) and differing public policy cannot be compared. I'd be like comparing Gauntlet for the Atari 7200 to Quake 4, the two are so different that there is almost no comparison other that they are video games.