Thursday, November 24, 2011


There is much to be found in this Burglar's 'dumb' letter. It is reproduced below from the Daily Mail website.

It appears, on the face of it, to be an anti Restorative or Community Justice - indeed even Criminal Justice - but it seems also to have been a form of Governmental 'criminology of the self' (Garland).

The letter was never sent - though we only discover this part way through - but we, potential victims, are meant to heed the wise words of the 'dumb' burglar to ensure we don't become a vitim of crime.

The Mail's final par encapsulates the disgust but also the fascination we all have for crime news:

A spokesman for the UK Neighbourhood Watch Trust said the letter was ‘appalling’, but added: ‘Christmas is coming and people like to leave their curtains open so people can see their lights and their tree, but they need to realise the criminal is looking at their TV, radio, computer and the presents under the tree.’

Obviously in addition to the 'criminology of the self' the Mail adds the 'criminology of the other', the ill-bred and ill-educated burglar. Win win.