When is someone going to do something about these thieving parasites?

[Uptowngirl]

I don't want to get involved in a personal dispute on here by taking sides. We did ring in about this and was told that as nothing had been taken there was nothing that could be done. I will leave you to argue it out as I have a kitchen to clear up.

[oldprune]

You can. However they don't do that as they find it tricky to prosecute as they then can say "oh I was going to pay for it I just absentmindedly put it in my pocket rather than the trolley" Once outside the door it's clear you are not possibly going to pay for it.

 

So in effect what you are saying is you can't.

[denlin]

..but the 'goods' aren't being offered for sale foxy

 

Ps, thoretically removing stuff from a skip is theft without the householder's permission.

 

Thats not correct either once an item has been placed in skip it actually belongs to skip company. Rgarding the cornflake issue. A shop invites people in to purchase items and only becomes theft if you attempt to leave premises without paying. Not the same thing as what happened to OP

[Obelix]

Thats not correct either once an item has been placed in skip it actually belongs to skip company. Rgarding the cornflake issue. A shop invites people in to purchase items and only becomes theft if you attempt to leave premises without paying. Not the same thing as what happened to OP

 

As said before, this is assuredly not the case. There is plenty of statue law and case law that says otherwise. Theft is committed, as the act says at the moment you appropriate the goods.

[Obelix]

So in effect what you are saying is you can't.

 

No. Read what I said.

[natjack]

Istr that foxylady posted once she was a law student or a solicitor or something of that ilk? She's bound to argue on the perp's side, that's what they do.

 

We all know that these people are stealing anything that's not bolted down, and a lot of stuff that is, some of it of sentimental value, some of it like copper off the railways and substations dangerous to life and limb.

 

If the law doesn't cover it, why isn't the law changed so that it does?

[oldprune]

No. Read what I said.

 

I did. It didn't make sense.

[Obelix]

Then that is your misfortune I'm afraid.

[Cyclone]

As said before, this is assuredly not the case. There is plenty of statue law and case law that says otherwise. Theft is committed, as the act says at the moment you appropriate the goods.

 

Picking something up to take to the till is not appropriation, nor is there any intent to permanently deprive the owner. Theft is not committed when you pick something up in a shop unless you have an intent to steal it.

[Hairyloon]

We all know that these people are stealing anything that's not bolted down, and a lot of stuff that is, some of it of sentimental value, some of it like copper off the railways and substations dangerous to life and limb.

If I were a terrorist, and I wanted to cause some serious havoc, then I would make a coordinated attack on important infrastructure: railways and power distribution.

But I would prepare with a number of isolated attacks to test out security and practicality, and I could do this secure in the knowledge that the police would treat it as petty metal theft.

 

It is lucky for the terrorists that the police aren't that smart because some of our anti-terrorist laws are pretty harsh, and who is going to complain if a few "innocent" scrap thieves get caught by mistake?

If the law doesn't cover it, why isn't the law changed so that it does?

The law covers it perfectly well. Enough that it should be almost impossible to get away with metal theft (at least not often).

The problem is that responsibility for enforcement is divided between the Police, the Environment Agency, and the Local Authority, so the result is a big buck passing exercise.