Contribution for Syrializm
It seems that the conditions in Britain are not good, as with the continuation of the economic crisis in the country, Britain is facing a variety of problems.
Strikes in various sectors of business and public services, almost paralyzing the life, a good-for-nothing government that vowed to provide support to Ukraine, and forgot the British people who suffer because of neglect and accumulations over the past years, and the failure of all governments to manage the country’s wellbeing.
Even Brexit, which was supposed to make Britain strong and independent, had a role in the country’s economic failure.
Britain has enjoyed a reputation of safety and security for decades, but it seems that things are no longer the same today, due to the impact of chronic government failure and economic difficulties that are eating Britain from within today.
During the year 2022, more than 1.1 million cases of theft were recorded according to statistics, an increase from what the country recorded of 970,000 cases of theft in the previous year (2021).
Recently data shows the rise of theft in the UK to the highest level for 10 years, as the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) in the UK has reported that convenience stores have registered an estimated more than 1.1 million incidents of theft in 2022.
The association’s annual crime report revealed that repeat offenders commit 63% of shop theft.
The data also revealed that 79% of retailers have attributed the increasing theft to the rising cost-of-living crisis.
In addition, ACS said that 87% of convenience store colleagues suffered verbal abuse over the year.
Furthermore, retailers estimate that just 16% of retail crimes reported to the police.
Over the year, convenience retailers invested £228m ($249.3) in retail crime prevention.
ACS, which is the voice of more than 33,500 local shops, said that the most stolen items were meat, alcohol and confectionery.
In response to this data, ACS urged the government to introduce a “Most Wanted” list of shop thieves in each police force area and calls to encourage local forces to use available tools to address anti-social behavior.
It also called for investment in rehabilitation programs for offenders while incentivizing investment in crime prevention measures by the treasury.
The report revealed that the most stolen items were meat, alcohol and confectionery, in addition, types of resalable products.
Besides the shoplifting, there is a pickpocketing theft in London and the underground theft incidents cases were doubled in one year.
Such crimes reached a record high of 7,899 thefts last year, British Transport Police data shows – more than twice the 3,380 seen in 2021, when overall Tube usage levels were lower.
The Central line was the worst hit last year, with more than 1,200 pickpockets reported – a large rise from the 484 incidents reported in 2021.
It was followed by the Northern line, with more than 1,100 thefts.
The Central line saw two-and-half times more thefts than the safest line – the Metropolitan line – where just under 500 pickpocketing incidents were reported last year.
But even this comparatively low figure marked a jump of more than 100% compared to the previous year.
Moving on to another theft issue, as the daily telegraph, that discuss the increasing theft cases in the UK recently.
The daily telegraph revealed that all types of theft see dramatic rise, despite police pledge to curb crime, as reports reveals that phone reported stolen in London every six minutes.
A staggering 90,864 mobile phones – equating to almost 250 a day – were stolen across the London last year.
Behind London, Camden came in second place with just shy of 7,900 mobile phone thefts, followed by Southwark, Hackney, and Bexley saw the fewest mobile phone thefts, with 432.
Among the total stolen mobile phones, only 2% of them were brought back.
The increase in theft cases of all kinds in the UK is a reflection of the economic situation in the country.
Britain today has plenty of reasons for the decline of the social level in the country to such a dangerous degree.
Many might agree that British society had never hit that low, with the economic deterioration in the country, the continuation of strikes at an organized pace, and the increase in multiple forms of theft are a blow to the tourism sector.
Whoever wants to visit the United Kingdom for the purpose of tourism, perhaps to see King Charles, must think a thousand times before making this decision.
The ongoing economic problem that has hit the country for several years, which successive British governments have either ignored during the past five years, has created social and living problems for the population, who are now facing worrying daily living challenges about their future and the future of their children in light of the constant British government deficit and confusion.
The persistently rising inflation rate in Britain has become a devastating factor for the economy and life in Britain and despite the Bank of England’s continued policies to raise interest rates to curb inflation, the picture has become strange in the reality of the British economy, with an interest rate rising along with the rate of inflation which is also rising.
During the past two years, the interest rate in Britain raised multiple times until today.
Currently the interest rate is within the limits of 5%, while inflation remained high,
For example, raising the interest rate to curb inflation did not affect prices in general, as the prices of some basic foodstuffs decreased by 19% during the month of April.
The strange thing is that the Bank of England has raised the interest rate 13 times since December 2021, as the interest rate before that date was almost zero, to reach today the limit of 5%.
However, the country’s inflation rate remained high, as it currently ranges around 8.7%, meaning that it continued to rise despite the continuous increase in interest rates.
Naturally, the continuous rise in interest rates directly affects the British citizen, as every British borrower forced to pay his installments with higher interest rates, which further drains the already scarce financial resources due to the high prices of everything around.
Both individuals and companies in Britain, which have loans, are literally draining today.
A third of homeowners in Britain have home loans, at a time when the interest on mortgages reached 6%.
Observers of the British economic affairs expect that Britain might be on the verge of a major economic disaster represented by the so-called “Home Loan Bomb”.
In science and forecasts of economics, the safety and the stability of the banking sector in any country is considered a criterion for a stable economic situation, but in the case of Britain and when the “Home Loan Bomb” explodes, this will mean bankruptcies in banks added to a recession in the real estate sector with a terrifying humanitarian crisis that will put hundreds of British families, if not thousands homeless on the roads, which will lead to an exacerbation of the social problem in the country and an increase in crime rates, and the result is a nuclear destruction without bombs.
The bad economic conditions that are sweeping the world are certainly causing disturbing social changes, and this talk isn’t directed at Britain only, but also at many countries that are currently suffering from great economic difficulties, in light of inflation and high interest rates.
In conclusion, as a sincere advice for those who wants to travel to UK… please don’t, but if you are insist to go there, for sake of tourism or to lend a hand to the British economy perhaps… go… but beware of pickpockets!
