Sheesh Gonzo

So an NIO report (how much?) "notes that many people's impressions seem strongly influenced by the media"?

Whatever next.. NIO report notes that ursine creatures have a tendency to defecate in areas with large numbers of trees?

I was kinda hoping someone might pick up on that. Yes, people are influenced by the media, but it is how it happens that is of interest.

For example, there was virtually a media panic over robberies of elderly people this year. But didn't the Chief Con make a statement about how the level of such crimes was lower here than almost anywhere else in the UK?

I only skimmed the report, but it would be interesting to see how the perceived 'worst' crimes compare to the ones actually reported.

At a guess Gonzo, I'd say perceived 'worst' doesn't correlate to 'actually reported' crime.

The other point to note though is that if we end up with a police service under the control of an locally-elected Minister for Policing, those 'perceived' figures could very easily start to play a more important factor in actual policy.

I was at a conference earilier this year, the speaker a retired senior policeman from England had carried out research for the Home Office, one of the conclusions he drew is that public bodies and even the relatives of the elderly 'groom' them for victimhood.

For example, telling an elderly neighbour that just because they let a stranger into their home without asking for ID the loss of their life savings wasn't their fault, or there was nothing they could have done, or a lock only keeps an honest man out etc etc when the truth is they should have kept the door locked and the money in the bank.

It sounds harsh but it made the audience think

I was at a conference earilier this year, the speaker a retired senior policeman from England had carried out research for the Home Office, one of the conclusions he drew is that public bodies and even the relatives of the elderly 'groom' them for victimhood.

For example, telling an elderly neighbour that just because they let a stranger into their home without asking for ID the loss of their life savings wasn't their fault, or there was nothing they could have done, or a lock only keeps an honest man out etc etc when the truth is they should have kept the door locked and the money in the bank.

It sounds harsh but it made the audience think

Many of those teenagers should be in school, it appears. Are the schools content to have their most disruptive and personally abusive pupils groomed for a career in theft and assault?

I have not noticed journalists active in arson and abusive behaviour on my street, though many local headlines could be considered inflammatory.