slepe - welcome to 'UK 2009' and the lawless society we are creating and indeed the types this country is breeding. This behaviour is a nationwide problem and goes on in any built up area after dark all around the country. To really appreciate the problem you, generally speaking, need to watch how certain people behave at night, but because most of the country goes home and locks itself away for the night, most of society is blind to what is happening. I've lost count of the amount of times I and others have had to intervene to stop nasty angry individuals from picking on innocent persons and intervene in muggings etc. Believe it, it really is that bad.

I work up to seven nights a week driving a Hackney cab outside a train station in a busy town centre and you see a fair few angry and misguided people, not just drunks and druggies. These angry people contribute to a lashing out society that picks on and bullies anyone that is vulnerable. What doesn't help is the lack of foot patrolling police or the poor sentencing that does absolutely nothing to instill fear in anyone wishing to break the law. For an example; in one night I had my cab damaged by someone wishing to bottle me, they bottled my cab instead. Then a few hours later myself and others had to stop a female student nurse being beaten up - that night I had to make statements for two separate offences and while this was happening there were other assaults going on around the station area.

I inquired to how many coppers were on duty that night and the answer was eight and one sergeant, for an area 200 hundred square miles in total - yes there were other traffic police around but they were busy looking after the roads. I try not to get political on the forums but unfortunately until there is a major overhaul in laws, sentencing and policing strategy the idiots will multiply and the problem will only get worse.

In this day and age an attacker can savagely attack someone, causing the victim lifelong injuries, receive something like a four year jail sentence and be out in two - where is the justice in that? Unbelievable!!!

Being drunk and staggering up the high street with the odd scrap has been par for the course for years. But the trouble that has escalated in the last few years is beyond that.

Like I say, if you're like most people who go home and lock the door behind them nearly every night then you won't be aware of the present day problems.

Quite right slepe. You old folk can't be too careful these days!

I don't wish to frighten you but some of the types about today don't know when to stop - there is a gang of angry young chav types that hang around the station where I live, they pick on vulnerable people and as a group know they are much stronger than individuals. One night two were fighting amongst themselves and a middle aged bloke passing by tried to intervene to stop the fight. They turned on him and by the time we could get over to stop the attack they had stamped on his head. We helped him into the station until the police and ambulance arrived and the last thing I saw of him was a dazed confused chap waiting to go to hospital - he suffered a broken jaw and other injuries according to the local press. This is just an example of the many attacks around the station area and i am F**ing furious this is allowed to go on.

The Hackney federation wanted taxi marshalls outside of the station, financed by the cab drivers, to help protect the public queuing at the station. My argument is and I took it to the local press, why should I and others have to pay for more street security when my council tax and other taxes finance the police who should be patrolling our streets.

This was not a 'pop' at the police who are in the frontline but more of go at those who organise the police resources.

Do you know how many police patrol your area?

Are you happy with policing in your area?

Unless you make it your business to find out about these sort of things and question authority, all you will get is a slack service.

I'm not going to apologise for my rant as it is a subject close to my heart, especially as I see these 'lashing out' attacks happen on a regular basis.

Will things change with a new government.


NO!!