Is violence reason to leave Britain?

UK violent attacks reach two a minute

THIS New Zealand Life likes to point out the good and the bad for expats and immigrants in NZ.

Sometimes this might seem gushingly over enthusiastic and at other times readers might wonder why you'd ever want to live on such a remote, unstable collection of rocks. It is all a balance, of course.

But it's useful to be reminded of why so many Brits end up leaving the jolly old UK and heading for a different life overseas.

Here, is one reason from the International Mail.

Britain, it says, is the most violent country in Europe and "since 1997, the number of recorded violent attacks soared by 77 per cent to 1.158 million - or more than two every minute."

It's enough to scare you onto a flight clutching a toothbrush.

The article is much more balanced than the headline so it's worth reading all the way through, but there is no doubt that perception of violence and crime in the UK has driven many away from their home country and is a factor for nearly all of us.

Whether this is truly the reality is another matter. The OECD doesn't think so, and says New Zealand is second only to Ireland in 26 OECD countries in internationally comparable data on vehicle, theft and contact crimes. Twenty-two percent of New Zealanders experienced such a crime in a 12-month period, compared to an OECD average of 16%.

Comments

[Alan]

I've read about some of this from a few sources, OECD & Global Peace Index included.
Perceptions of crime are much higher in the UK.
Actual crime, per capita, is comparable in the UK with NZ. It's just that there aren't so many people in NZ, and they're all spread over a larger country.
There is a theory that the more people perceive crime as happening, and being 'socially acceptable' to some degree, the more they are likely to commit themselves. It's a big difference from speeding or running a red light, to glassing someone over a spilt pint.

[AussieJules]

I suppose it depends which suburb you live in in NZ... I know some (insert minority) dominated suburbs have gangs where you need to rape someone to join.
I suspect that overall, NZ is far better than the UK which is a big mess.

As for the UK - having live there a year, I can vouch for violence being out of control. 2000 stats show that you are twice as likely to be assaulted in the UK as in the USA... (which is the only country in the world where crime decreased over 1990-2000). Anecdotal evidence says that You can walk safely in NYC at 3am..

The welfare state dissempowers and de-responsabilises people.. Add to this that the powers of courts and police force in the UK are a joke compared to the US.

IF you want crime to decrease in NZ or elsewhere, the US shows the way : longer sentences, stiff penalties for repeat offenders etc. If you just want to nanny people and excuse them without encouraging them to give up their life of crime, adopt the UK model. Personally, I would not raise kids in the UK - it's a cesspit of Post-modern nonsense , nihilism and violence. And teens pay the price more than anyone. Drugs, violence, underage pregnancies - welcome to the Brave New World of the left. woohooo ! you can do what you want , unless it's a choice to opt out from this nihilist mess.

[Lol]

The image you censored is from Wikipedia on street fighting. Good going on trying to get actual footage.

[Lol]

The image you censored is from Wikipedia on street fighting. Good going on trying to get actual footage.