[GVnana]

Before everyone starts sneering at the violent Brits and cancelling their holidays to London or Scotland, let me point out one big fact about these figures.

No one is sneering. Gasping in astonishment maybe.

.To take a boat out in dangerous weather against the crew’s wishes is classed as assault against the person in the UK.

Well yeah. I would be very surprised to learn that kind of behavior would NOT be a crime in the US.

The UK has TWENTY EIGHT violent offences on their various statute books

So...care to guess how many in the 50 states?

It would make an interesting comparison, but you don't have one.

On the very same page as this article there are links to stories related to the killing of two unarmed cops in Manchester.
The two unarmed police constables killed attending a 'routine incident' have been named by Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahey as Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23 [pictured above]. Sir Peter paid tribute to Miss Hughes, describing her as a 'chatterbox' and a 'great bobby' who was 'always smiling'.

Sir Peter said Miss Bone was a calm, gentle woman, an excellent bobby and had been in the middle of planning her wedding.

One of the country's most wanted men is believed to have lured the two unarmed female constables to their deaths. Dale Cregan is thought to have made a bogus burglary report then attacked the officers, opening fire with a gun and a grenade.

Eyewitnesses said a hail of bullets was fired and a grenade was thrown during the attack in Hattersley, Greater Manchester, shortly before 11am. One of the officers died at the scene. The second was critically injured and died later."

We learn that Cregan is wanted and on the loose for two other murders involving guns and explosives:

Cregan, pictured above, had been the subject of a huge manhunt after the murders of David Short, 46, and his son Mark, 23. A £50,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his arrest.

A one-eyed man is at the centre of a manhunt after a grieving father was brutally executed just weeks after his son was shot dead.

David Short, 47, was gunned down at his terraced home in Clayton, Manchester, after branding as 'cowards' the killers of his 23-year-old son Mark.

There was an explosion at the house caused by a grenade and within minutes there was another grenade attack and shots reportedly fired at a property in Droylsden, east of the city.

The shooting and grenade attacks happened as two men appeared in court charged with Mark's murder. He was blasted to death 10 weeks ago while playing pool with his friends in a crowded pub.

Yesterday his father was shot dead by two masked men just yards from where children were playing in a park.

The gunmen were seen running from the house after neighbours heard shots.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186664/Dale-Cregan-Manchester-Hunt-eyed-suspect-grieving-father-killed-gangland-hit.html#ixzz2Fi01pu6N

We could talk a lot about the differences between us, but we would be dealing with a lot of impressions and emotions.

My impressions? If this string of crimes had happened in the US, we would be asking "Why?" and "Where did we go wrong?"

I never see that in the discussion of British crimes. I find most Brits to be appallingly apathetic on the subject. It's as if the matter was closed, you have your solutions, and nothing more can be done.

You have unarmed cops shot to death, a young man blown-up inside a pub, and his father shot to death in a home invasion.

Pardon me if I don't look to you for solutions.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

For the record, Cregan is not still on the loose. He walked into a police station and surrendered himself an hour after the officers were killed.

[the scotsman]

‘So...care to guess how many in the 50 states?

It would make an interesting comparison, but you don’t have one.’

My understanding was/is that there would much less than 28 different ‘violent’ offences on US state statute books.

‘My impressions? If this string of crimes had happened in the US, we would be asking “Why?” and “Where did we go wrong?” ‘

Really?. You have just had twenty little children blasted to death, and the biggest ire seems to be about keeping weapons....

‘I never see that in the discussion of British crimes. I find most Brits to be appallingly apathetic on the subject. It’s as if the matter was closed, you have your solutions, and nothing more can be done.’

We arent apathetic, people here were sick and angry at what happened to the two PC’s, just as we are when there are violent murders, of adults or children.

Perhaps the average Brit should get more angry, but you have to remember that, for all the hype, the UK actually is not a seriously violent nation. Most violent offences are against property. Violence against the person in the UK are about 70% fueled by alcohol and happen at the weekend.

And the UK historically has had a very low rate of crime, let alone murder. Hence the shock in America and elsewhere when the UK figures rocketed.

We simply dont have the amount of people being murdered by gun or other weapons, England and Wales (pop. 50 million) had 550 murders last year, Scotland (pop 5m) had 95, NI (pop 1.5m) had even less.

So the UK, with a population of over 60 million, had less than 700 murders.

Does that sound like a violent nation?.

‘Pardon me if I don’t look to you for solutions.’

Right back at you.