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I guess the old skool amongst us constantly point to our old friend the USA when this discussion comes around and look at the stats which say despite their police force being prominently armed, the level and severity of crime has not diminished. What are the stats like for Australia in comparison?, to be honest I don't think I was even overly aware that all front line officers in Oz were armed.
I feel the lawlessness we face is more the result of soft sentencing and the fact that our prisons are more like a holiday camp than confinement as a punishment. Some of the judgements made for very serious crimes are totally unbelievable.The public in general and the police in particular are being exposed to excessive danger because criminals no longer have any fear about the possible punishment. Why worry about going to prison - no matter how heinous the crime the death penalty cannot be applied and in the unlikely event you will be given a custodial sentence, you will get free meals, Sky TV, drugs and even sex unlimited. You only serve half of the time you are sentenced to, and you will get a discount on that if you are seen to be a good boy or the prisons are over -crowded. It is my honest belief that the punishment should really fit the crime ...
I am not competent to talk about law enforcement in other countries - but in the UK I feel the lawlessness we face is more the result of soft sentencing and the fact that our prisons are more like a holiday camp than confinement as a punishment. Some of the judgements made for very serious crimes are totally unbelievable.