Inside U.K. Britain's violent crime goes mobile By Richard Payne	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
悪質な犯罪が増えるイギリス 先日、筆者の友人で ＴＶ ニュース番組のキャスターを務める女性が、白昼の街中で、しかも車を運転している最中、赤信号で止まったときに襲いかかってきた強盗を必死で撃退するという事件が起きました。今週は最近イギリスで多発しているさまざまな犯罪についてレポートします。

Despite the image that many people have of Britain as a polite and pleasant land, it seems in fact that many of Britain's cities are violent places. The fear of street crime among people living here is rising sharply. A recent survey revealed that more than half of residents in London are unwilling to walk outside their homes at night because they fear being attacked.

And people are not just at risk of attack walking along the streets. They're not even safe in their own cars. Carjacking has recently been making headline news. Victims of this kind of crime are often attacked while they are at the wheel of their car. Sometimes it happens when they have stopped at traffic lights or sometimes they are deliberately hit from behind by another vehicle. When they get out to see what has happened, their own car is stolen. Often the thieves are targeting top-of-the-range luxury cars.

Jackie Kabler, a national television presenter who is a friend of mine, was nearly the victim of a carjacking in Britain's second biggest city, Birmingham. The 35-year-old presenter, who works on the morning news program "GMTV," was driving along a road in the city in her black BMW Z3 sports car in the middle of the day. When she stopped at a set of traffic lights, a man appeared from the side of the road and threw open her passenger door.

Jackie remembers: "He was trying to climb into the car. I was so shocked that I didn't immediately realize what was happening. Then I started screaming and trying to push him out. I used all my strength to try to force him away. Then he started to grab my bag, which was on the passenger seat. By this time I was really angry and used all my might to pull the bag away. Eventually, he gave up and ran off. I have never been so scared in my life. I just sat there in a daze. But what I couldn't believe was that nobody came to help me."

Jackie was lucky. Despite her ordeal she wasn't physically injured. In January, in another suspected carjacking, a 25-year-old man was murdered in front of his girlfriend on a London street as they arrived home.

It's not just cars that are tempting the thieves. Theft of mopeds and scooters is also rising. I myself was recently a victim of crime when my Peugeot scooter was stolen by a gang of men. I had just arrived home on the scooter when I was surrounded by three men. One of them pushed me away from the bike and threatened me. The others grabbed the keys and they all rode off. Although I was very shocked, I was also extremely angry about becoming another crime statistic. My bike has now been recovered, but it is so badly damaged I will never be able to ride it again. The police admit it is unlikely the men who attacked me will ever be caught.

The government is coming under pressure to take more action on street crime and has promised to recruit more police officers and to give more serious punishments to offenders.

The government has also become very concerned about the rise in violent robberies of mobile phones. Children under the age of 15 are the most likely targets of this kind of crime. Figures show that up to half a million youngsters aged between 11 and 15 have already become victims of mobile phone theft.

Politicians are urging mobile phone companies to improve security. There is also a promise of tougher punishment — including prison sentences of up to five years — for those who commit mobile phone robberies. Police in London are advising people that the best way to protect themselves is not to make calls on their phones in the street.

Residents of one of London's wealthiest districts are taking matters into their own hands. They are paying up to £1,000 (¥130,000) a year for guards with dogs to patrol their streets.

A lot of violent street crime in Britain is blamed on drug abuse — particularly the use of crack cocaine, which is soaring to epidemic levels, especially among 14- to 18- year-olds. Experts say crack addicts are very likely to be responsible for violent crimes such as muggings, mobile phone thefts and carjackings.

Despite the increase in certain types of offenses, Britain is far from being a nation under siege by criminals. In fact, one recent survey said violent crime overall had actually fallen. In some of Britain's larger cities, as in cities all over the world, there is always a chance that you will fall victim to crime, but it is not necessarily worse than anywhere else. Britain can still claim one of the lowest murder rates in Western Europe and, of course, a murder rate far below that of America.

Shukan ST: March 29, 2002

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