A wide-ranging police study has concluded that the surge in immigrants from eastern Europe to Britain has not fuelled a rise in crime. The study, carried out for the Association of Chief Police Officers, challenges claims that the influx of 1 million people from Eastern Europe have caused a rise in criminality.
According to the report, criminality of the Eastern European contingent is broadly in line with the rate of offending in the general population. Indeed, around 1 million people have come to the UK from Eastern Europe and the annual crime rate, as recorded by Police, has actually dropped by 9% in the year to September 2007. An extra 1 million people and crime has dropped? Doesn't sound like a crime wave to me.
It will be interesting to see how the Daily Heil will react to that. And the Di'ly Express will find it even harder - with Diana's inquest having come to an end, they are going to be gutted if they have to lose another one of their major headliners.
There is a real need to discuss immigration in this country; but I just wish it could be an intelligent discussion, as opposed to the Enoch Powell-esque vitriol that is usually poured out.
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I'm willing to bet at least a hefty ten pence that in the next few weeks, the Di'ly Express will run a headline implying that Maddie's parents are either paedophiles or immigrants. Or possibly both.
As for everything else, I completely agree with you. I wish I could say something pithy and interesting about it, but you've pretty much said it all. My Enoch Powell inclinations only stretch as far as the fact that there are a bunch of white people I'd like to chuck out of the country.
It's just a repeat of an old story; in the '40s and '50s it was West Indian and subcontinental immigrants, now it's eastern Europeans. The poor / thick / prejudiced in society will always need someone to blame for their woes, and the latest people to arrive in the country are always the easiest target. Actually, compared to how things are in (for instance) Italy, eastern European migration has gone remarkably well in the UK.
LZ - Di'ly Express - very good...
Oi! Read the article, Di'ly Express is mine!!
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