The first report included a video of a young man swinging a Chihuahua dog around his head, by its lead. Apparently, the owner had agreed to let the man, who was with three friends, another dog, and a pack of lager - this last detail was included as it may be relevant - take her dog for a walk. An unknown person took a video of the incident and uploaded it onto Facebook. The first that the owner knew about the mistreatment of her dog was when she saw the video. The news item ended by saying that the dog was uninjured and the Local Safe Neighbourhood Scheme and RSPCA were wanting to identify the man. Strange story! Why would anyone post the video on social media and not show it to the police first? Even stranger, doesn't the owner know who the man is - and what made her look on Facebook? It just doesn't add up.
The second article, entitled 'Bloom Raider' was also filmed. Somebody had been repeatedly uprooting plants in a couple's front garden and tossing them on the gravel. The wife kept re-planting them, but they were pulled up again and again. Eventually, the husband installed a camera and filmed the culprit, a middle-aged man. Police said that they were investigating similar bizarre incidents locally and wished to find the person responsible.
Lastly, there was a despicable story of a woman who stole roses from a memorial garden. An elderly man's wife had been cremated and he had placed a bouquet of 51 red roses in the garden; one for each year of their marriage. The next day, the roses were gone and his memorial card was left lying on the ground. The theft was recorded by a CCTV camera and, once again, police are trying to identify the cold-hearted woman.
So, three petty crimes, and each one was recorded. I hope those responsible will soon be arrested and brought to justice; the ability to film criminal activity is of huge assistance to the police, both in tracking the culprits and then proving their actions. When civil liberty groups complain about too many cameras, I'd counter with the previous examples that cannot be denied by the guilty. Law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from being filmed.
It amazes me that people act so disrespectfully as demonstrated by the three cases above; I must live in a different world as I don't understand them. When I retired in England, I considered applying to become a magistrate, but wasn't eligible because I hadn't been living in the area for a minimum of three years. However, I now think that I wouldn't have been the best candidate. I wouldn't have had any sympathy whatsoever for the above criminals if they were in my court, and would have felt frustration with the light sentences that are handed down. Bring back flogging and hanging, I say!