OAPs' Sussex crime wave (From The Argus)
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OAPs' Sussex crime wave
10:30am Thursday 11th November 2010 in News By Anna Roberts
An OAP crime wave is washing across Sussex. Hundreds of pensioners and elderly residents across the county have been arrested on suspicion of theft, fraud, assault and serious sexual offences.
Experts claimed the harsh economic climate could have pushed pensioners into crime.
A 94-year-old woman was the oldest person arrested by Sussex Police in the last three years. The woman, who was arrested on suspicion of a theft in 2009, was one of two ninety-year-old plus ladies arrested by the force.
According to information provided to The Argus under the Freedom of Information Act, 1,282 over 65s were arrested between 2007 and 2009.
Other OAPs, including a 74-year-old woman accused of sexual assault, were investigated on suspicion of charges including burglary, arson and drug dealing/possession.
See today's Argus for full report.
Comments(36)
Angryoldman
says...
10:40am Thu 11 Nov 10
Then we will see a SERIOUS increase in crime.
Of course we will also have less police, less courts, and less prison spaces.
The rich better hire personal security.
The peasants will revolt. What we saw at Tory scum headquarters yesterday will be like a tea party compared to what will happen next year when people lose their benefits and homes.
Spanners
says...
10:53am Thu 11 Nov 10
Andre Spooner
says...
11:06am Thu 11 Nov 10
PJ_Brighton
says...
11:21am Thu 11 Nov 10
acoustic
says...
11:36am Thu 11 Nov 10
timetravel1980
says...
11:42am Thu 11 Nov 10
puddingandpi
says...
11:49am Thu 11 Nov 10
acoustic wrote:You think you've got it rough?! You had the NHS in it's prime - free glasses, dentistry & prescriptions, so many jobs you could walk out of one at lunchtime & start another by the afternoon shift, you had state & employers pensions, cheap property to buy & sell, free university for you & your kids & now look. It's all gone belly up & I'm going to pay, my kids are going to pay, my grandkids are going to pay. We've no jobs, the ones we have pay peanuts, the NHS won't look after us, we can't afford to buy a house or live where we've always lived & no benefits to boot.
Us pensioners who spent a lifetime in work and did everything right are now highly **** off at being dumped in the crap by our slimy rulers. This is the logical result and will only get worse as benefit claimants join in!
It's the baby-boomers! They've always had the attitude "why shouldn't I? Who's going to stop me?" whether it's doing drugs, shagging about or shoplifting.
And, never forget, wisdom does *not* come with age. Young ar$eh0les just grow into old ar$eh0les.
Nikos
says...
11:57am Thu 11 Nov 10
tangerine.tabby
says...
12:03pm Thu 11 Nov 10
puddingandpi
says...
12:05pm Thu 11 Nov 10
Nikos wrote:Oh my gods, you think *this* is lawless?
I personally feel like we live in a lawless society where everyone has the freedom to do anything that they like with very little consequence. No wonder the elderly are deciding to jump on the bandwagon, with the polices 'couldn't care less' attitutude and less respect nowadays for the elderly combined with lack of community, they might as well be committing crime. It's a shame but a reality.
Go live in Somalia! Now *that* is lawless...
Our society might not be perfect but it is far, very far from lawless.
Nikos
says...
12:20pm Thu 11 Nov 10
chipmunk77
says...
12:54pm Thu 11 Nov 10
puddingandpi wrote:Too true!
acoustic wrote: Us pensioners who spent a lifetime in work and did everything right are now highly **** off at being dumped in the crap by our slimy rulers. This is the logical result and will only get worse as benefit claimants join in!You think you've got it rough?! You had the NHS in it's prime - free glasses, dentistry & prescriptions, so many jobs you could walk out of one at lunchtime & start another by the afternoon shift, you had state & employers pensions, cheap property to buy & sell, free university for you & your kids & now look. It's all gone belly up & I'm going to pay, my kids are going to pay, my grandkids are going to pay. We've no jobs, the ones we have pay peanuts, the NHS won't look after us, we can't afford to buy a house or live where we've always lived & no benefits to boot. It's the baby-boomers! They've always had the attitude "why shouldn't I? Who's going to stop me?" whether it's doing drugs, shagging about or shoplifting. And, never forget, wisdom does *not* come with age. Young ar$eh0les just grow into old ar$eh0les.
Granny
says...
1:10pm Thu 11 Nov 10
yermumsaman
says...
1:38pm Thu 11 Nov 10
emma barnes
says...
1:52pm Thu 11 Nov 10
http://www.westmerci
a.police.uk/freedom-
of-information/discl
osure-log/crime-stat
istics/2010/foi-2297
-over-65s-arrested.h
tml
Hovian Vibes
says...
2:10pm Thu 11 Nov 10
Sussevingian
says...
2:19pm Thu 11 Nov 10
VoodooGangbanger
says...
2:45pm Thu 11 Nov 10
Angryoldman wrote:Exactly, if you have any sense, invest in weapons or get out of the country right now, we are gonna be looking at a huge period of social unrest, Crime is gonna skyrocket along with poverty, Police are gonna be undermanned and become more authoritirian to maintain order,I would say revolution would be coming if guns were more promminent in England.
Wait till they dump a million incapacity claimants on JSA with no reasonable prospect of employment.
Then we will see a SERIOUS increase in crime.
Of course we will also have less police, less courts, and less prison spaces.
The rich better hire personal security.
The peasants will revolt. What we saw at Tory scum headquarters yesterday will be like a tea party compared to what will happen next year when people lose their benefits and homes.
anonandonandon
says...
2:55pm Thu 11 Nov 10
puddingandpi wrote:Well put, puddingandpi.
acoustic wrote: Us pensioners who spent a lifetime in work and did everything right are now highly **** off at being dumped in the crap by our slimy rulers. This is the logical result and will only get worse as benefit claimants join in!You think you've got it rough?! You had the NHS in it's prime - free glasses, dentistry & prescriptions, so many jobs you could walk out of one at lunchtime & start another by the afternoon shift, you had state & employers pensions, cheap property to buy & sell, free university for you & your kids & now look. It's all gone belly up & I'm going to pay, my kids are going to pay, my grandkids are going to pay. We've no jobs, the ones we have pay peanuts, the NHS won't look after us, we can't afford to buy a house or live where we've always lived & no benefits to boot. It's the baby-boomers! They've always had the attitude "why shouldn't I? Who's going to stop me?" whether it's doing drugs, shagging about or shoplifting. And, never forget, wisdom does *not* come with age. Young ar$eh0les just grow into old ar$eh0les.
TheInsider
says...
3:36pm Thu 11 Nov 10
I am hoping I get life.
I will then get a room in a warm prison, probably a low security one as i shall be low risk, all my bills paid and no doubt some trips out and the whole day to do art, crafts etc.
It will be the only way to get some care.
Go for it oldies. The ConDem Govt have really screwed up already and things will only get worse.
rayellerton
says...
5:12pm Thu 11 Nov 10
KarenT
says...
5:41pm Thu 11 Nov 10
That's NOT a pleasant thought!
emma barnes
says...
7:09pm Thu 11 Nov 10
rayellerton wrote:no
would the increase in arrests of OAP's be anything to do with the police seeing them as a soft touch to arrest?
rayellerton
says...
7:52pm Thu 11 Nov 10
emma barnes wrote:I said that because the Police do a risk assessment before arresting suspects in many cases...and lets face it a 70 year old lady would pose far less risk to them than a 35 year old male....
rayellerton wrote:no
would the increase in arrests of OAP's be anything to do with the police seeing them as a soft touch to arrest?
bob loblaw's law blog
says...
7:56pm Thu 11 Nov 10
KeefyH44
says...
8:14pm Thu 11 Nov 10
Granny wrote:Exactly! I still pay my taxes and get no benefits because I invested the maximum I could into pension funds, yet I know of so many people who have never worked in the whole of their lives and live in houses worth hundreds of thousands while I live in a council flat because I didn't earn enough to even qualify for a mortgage to buy a house despite spending seven years at college to gain the qualifications I needed to do my job. They get free dental treatment and free spectacles and benefits also entitle you to other fringe benefits like taking pets to the PDSA instead of paying through the nose for a private vet just because you receive benefits. We OAPs don't have it easy at all.
I am a pensioner and would like to take issue with puddingandpi. I own my house, bought through hard graft by my late husband and me. I may have had free dental care in days gone by, but always had to pay for my spectacles. We both scrimped and scraped to provide a decent pension when we retired and now what happens, Because I am just over the limit to claim any assistance from the government, I have to buy my spectacles and pay for dental treatment. I have no community tax relief apart from the 25% for living alone and each time I have applied for a grant towards some home improvements, I have been turned down. Any repairs to my home have to be paid for out of my dwindling savings and it looks as though when they have gone I will be unable to get any financial help. I realise the young families today are having a hard time of things but you are not the only ones. I see one old lady has been charged with sexual offences - perhaps I can go on the streets to make some extra money! At least one thing that cannot be taken away from me is my sense of humour.
KarenT
says...
8:39pm Thu 11 Nov 10
KeefyH44 wrote:Having lots of babies indiscriminately - that's the only ticket to benefits on tap! Open your legs = free accommodation, free food, free everything. Until having baby after baby is de-incentivised (is that a word???!) nothing's gonna change! When I was in school I knew of loads of girls who made a "conscientious" (if you can call it that!) decision to get pregnant as soon as they possibly could in order to get themselves a "home away from home". I remember one used to say, "I'll get pregnant and give it 24 weeks (the cut-off at the time for voluntary abortions at the time) and if I'm not housed by then I'll just get rid of it and start again." Like it would never have occurred to them to get a job and work for a living in the first instance.
Granny wrote:Exactly! I still pay my taxes and get no benefits because I invested the maximum I could into pension funds, yet I know of so many people who have never worked in the whole of their lives and live in houses worth hundreds of thousands while I live in a council flat because I didn't earn enough to even qualify for a mortgage to buy a house despite spending seven years at college to gain the qualifications I needed to do my job. They get free dental treatment and free spectacles and benefits also entitle you to other fringe benefits like taking pets to the PDSA instead of paying through the nose for a private vet just because you receive benefits. We OAPs don't have it easy at all.
I am a pensioner and would like to take issue with puddingandpi. I own my house, bought through hard graft by my late husband and me. I may have had free dental care in days gone by, but always had to pay for my spectacles. We both scrimped and scraped to provide a decent pension when we retired and now what happens, Because I am just over the limit to claim any assistance from the government, I have to buy my spectacles and pay for dental treatment. I have no community tax relief apart from the 25% for living alone and each time I have applied for a grant towards some home improvements, I have been turned down. Any repairs to my home have to be paid for out of my dwindling savings and it looks as though when they have gone I will be unable to get any financial help. I realise the young families today are having a hard time of things but you are not the only ones. I see one old lady has been charged with sexual offences - perhaps I can go on the streets to make some extra money! At least one thing that cannot be taken away from me is my sense of humour.
acoustic
says...
8:41pm Thu 11 Nov 10
timetravel1980
says...
10:00pm Thu 11 Nov 10
TheInsider wrote:Make a good plan and go for a good safety deposit bank. If you get away with it, Monte Carlo there you go. If not like you say you will get nice free lodgings, three decent meals a day, TV, DVD and a PC. There's also free Open University education and you will be able to still vote. If your lucky you might get a sexy female prison guard thrown in for good measure.
When I am an oldie, I plan to committ an armed robbery.
I am hoping I get life.
I will then get a room in a warm prison, probably a low security one as i shall be low risk, all my bills paid and no doubt some trips out and the whole day to do art, crafts etc.
It will be the only way to get some care.
Go for it oldies. The ConDem Govt have really screwed up already and things will only get worse.
Mr Lahey
says...
12:24am Fri 12 Nov 10
Ian E Brewers
says...
10:06am Fri 12 Nov 10
lisalisalisa
says...
11:15am Fri 12 Nov 10
Baldseagull
says...
12:08pm Fri 12 Nov 10
boblat
says...
5:46pm Fri 12 Nov 10
Brighton_Toffee
says...
12:28pm Tue 16 Nov 10
I know for a fact that a charity devoted to the needs of the older person in Brighton was pestered for a comment on "the situation" the day before publication.
When it was suggested that the Argus wait for a measured response based on the information that the paper had, the charity was told that there was no time as the paper was about to go to press.
Not a very balanced approach to news reporting, IMHO.
A spokesperson was quoted in the print version of the article but, given the timescale involved, was understandably restrained.
I do not expect this comment to remain up for very long, but felt it was an important point to mention.
Colin Houlson says...
10:39am Thu 11 Nov 10