Shock figures reveal at least one knife a day is confiscated from people who walk into court buildings in Nottingham.
And that’s just the staff…!
But seriously, how dumb do you have to be to go to court with a knife? Or worse:
Four replica guns were also taken from people in the same time period.
And yet nowhere is there any mention of follow-up charges for any of those people…
Julia – you only have to pass by the court on days when they have business to have your questions explained. YOu can see in the large crowd a large vein of “couldn’t give a toss” types. Through its large glass doors you can see the first thing they immediately have to navigate are the metal detectors. the only time it’s clear is when the place is crawling with armed police.
Perhaps the lack of action taken against them indicates why they can’t ‘give a toss’..?
Security Theatre … incl pocket penknives, nail scissors, nail file and so on. Virtually anything can be made a weapon, the most obvious being a pen or pencil. They say 2500 cameras seized yet nearly every mobile phone is a camera. Given this mentality one wonders what they class as replica guns … bright green plastic water pistols?
How quickly people have accepted this security theatre that protects us from the ‘bogeyman’
We recently visited France in our campervan. One of questions asked by the Border Force (is that their new name?) was ‘Are you carrying any knives’. We looked back blankly and rather confused as he realised it was a camper van – and he ammended the question ‘except for those used in the kitchen area’.
Obviously these sort are much less dangerous than ordinary knives!
/facepalm
‘how dumb do you have to be to go to court with a knife?’
About as dumb as you have to be to commit most of the crimes that got you there in the first place, at least if the grandly-titled ‘Scales of Justice’ column in our local paper is anything to go by. The whole thing is a sort of Village Idiot’s Progress of shoplifting, vandalism and mindless thuggery.
Having visited Nottingham Magistrates the other day I can confirm these types walking in with knives and such must be utter cretins – the scanners are right by the doors in plain sight.
I once had a metal stick about 5 inch long and 1/2 inch thick with a key ring on the end. It was so you could turn your keys into a flail if attacked.
The police confiscated it when they pulled me for having no tax.
It’s not just thugs who get stuff taken off them but folk like you and me who just want to keep themselves safe.
I now have a short strap with the Carling Lager logo on it that does exactly the same thing.
Women are luckier – a hairbrush with a very sharp end and a can of hairspray/perfume attracts no attention.
But you wouldn’t want either in your face.
Mine are always at the bottom of the handbag. I suppose I might find an assailant prepared to wait for a while, maybe hold the book, folding shoes, bottle of water, Important Papers, pens, empty chocolate wrappers (oh, hang on, there’s a spare mint imperial here, a bit fluffy but give it a rinse) but in general it’s going to work better if I just take a good swing on the handles and belt him with the weight of it.
Yes, Mrs T was a big fan of “handbagging”. It served her well, as you are doubtless aware, so your security should be assured WOAR.
What is wrong with taking a legal tool into court? I have a legal penknife that I use everyday and there is nothing illegal with that. Of course places can make their rules up and decide they can’t take one in. That is currently the rule but it still does not make it illegal so that is why they don’t get prosecuted because despite your concerns if it is not illegal then there is no crime.
There are so man things these whingers stop you taking in that it won’t be long before you can’t carry water into court in case you decide to drown someone.
They should not be able to ban legal items from public places. Especially the public places that you have no options but to go into. If McDonalds searched you and stopped you going in because you had on your something they don’t like then there would be an uproar although you have a choice to go in there. Courts, etc. you don’t.
I went to court not that long ago as a witness and they wouldn’t let me in because I had my pocket knife that I refused to dispose of. If they would have kept it safe I would have left it but the option was disposal or no entry. I chose not to go in. The case had to be postponed because I wasn’t there. They also banned nail files as well I was told.
Many replica guns and a lot of knives over a certain length are illegal when carried in a public place. It would be interesting if they’d broken the stats down into those categories…
That is correct but knives not of that length are OK. Thus to ban all knives does not make them illegal just banned by an organisation made up of wimps.
You can’t blame people wanting to get back at the ‘system’ – more power to them I say…..
long fingernails?