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elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
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join:2006-08-30
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elwoodblues

Premium Member

The ecomonics of crime

Does it pay to investigate petty crimes?

Last week a dectective came into my office, looking for information on someone who rented a car from my company , filled it with gas(local gas station) and drove off without paying. The amount involved was less then $50.

While some of you might argue, a crime is a crime is a crime, the odds are the person who did the crime has left the country already. When I was chatting with the detective, I said that he probably makes an hour the value of the gas that was stolen, (a bit more was his reply)!!

He said, it if comes across his desk, he has to investigate period.

So the question lies, where do draw the line in investigating minor crimes?
IamGimli (banned)
join:2004-02-28
Canada

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IamGimli (banned)

Member

Investigating petty crimes is often how bigger cases develop. Criminals commit crimes, small and big.

If our "justice system" stops pursuing criminals then we'll have to do it ourselves. Do you think that's a better alternative?

elwoodblues
Elwood Blues
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join:2006-08-30
Somewhere in

elwoodblues

Premium Member

It's just up for discussion, Gimili, in this particular case, yes it's a crime, but the perpertrator is long gone, and if they are committing larger crimes, they're probably going it at home, not here.
IamGimli (banned)
join:2004-02-28
Canada

IamGimli (banned)

Member

...or they may have visited your area specifically because it makes it harder to investigate someone who's rented a car and isn't local and went on a crime spree while there.

The fact is, you don't know until you actually investigate.
donaldk
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join:2000-10-19
Halifax, NS

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As others have said, classic police work often uncovers bigger crimes masqueraded by numerous petty crime. To not investigate at all would violate their mandate of serve and protect.

Hydraglass
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join:2002-05-08

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It does pose an interesting conundrum... Should there be a "bottom limit" to petty theft in which case it no longer is a criminal matter - if some random walks into a store and walks out with a bottle of water that was $0.99 - should it still be followed up and investigated and reported as a crime even? Or should some of the very minor infractions become something that literally just becomes a statistic and nothing more? Where's the cutoff? Who decides... Is taking an extra packet of sugar from the table at a restaurant when you're leaving to use at home a crime? The packet is worth about 5 cents. It's a dick move - but is it worth someone investigating?

It even gets more fuzzy in our modern digital society - McDonalds has free Wifi - are you a criminal because you parked in the parking lot, connected your smartphone to the wifi, downloaded your e-mail, disconnected and drove off? Maybe... you used their bandwidth and data and weren't a customer. You pick up the newspaper at the checkout stand in a store and read the headlines and put the paper back down -- did you steal it? No you put it back.. but what if it was the last copy of the paper and someone else didn't buy it because you were holding it at the time - so the store lost out on the sale of that paper... Did you commit a crime? Certainly not... but someone was still out the $1 for the sale of it.

This could go on and on - it's a philosophical battle.

As for stolen gas? Yeah... $50 is enough to be a petty crime that should be investigated for sure... I think even $20 is... usually the sign of someone who's as they used to say a "scofflaw" - habitually breaking laws - sometimes small - sometimes bigger. But when it's something under $1? That's where I start to wonder.... is it worth it... I know when I owned my own small business I shook my head at people who swiped stupid little $1 items (penny candies, packs of matches, etc..) but I never would have called the cops or even confronted them about it... Chalked it up to "the price of doing business"... not worth raising a concern over.

g121
play lordsgame com | Phone Cops are real
join:2004-05-28
Toronto

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if they do it once, they're apt to do it again & again & again ..

cheers from Toronto ..

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

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said by donaldk:

As others have said, classic police work often uncovers bigger crimes masqueraded by numerous petty crime. To not investigate at all would violate their mandate of serve and protect.

Our police arrested a tagger who has been defacing property for months. police investigated ninety six separate incidents. But they laid six large charges today. Ninety six small crimes led to six reasonable charges which won't be insubstantial before the court.

El Quintron
Cancel Culture Ambassador
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join:2008-04-28
Tronna

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said by elwoodblues:

So the question lies, where do draw the line in investigating minor crimes?

It's been said in the thread a couple of times, but in your example the obvious benefit is that people don't get the idea that it's OK to steal from others if it's below a certain amount.

In that sense you're setting a precedent. The police should investigate, and can opt not to lay charges, if the perpetrator has extraneous factors leading them a life of crime, but the accused should have to face the police and understand that what they're doing is against the law.

Secondly, and more importantly, (going back to your example) it lets the shop keeper know that s/he doesn't need to rely on a shotgun to protect their inventory. Because at the end of the day, the justice system should be dealing with this in an impartial manner and not someone who's going to lose their business over petty theft.

EQ

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Economics aside, the law goes after animal abusers seriously because if those acts go unpunished, the perpetrator may escalate to crimes against people.

Yeah the guy stealing a $0.99 water bottle might be only doing that now, but how long before he starts B&E or stealing cars?

Gone
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join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

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said by elwoodblues:

Does it pay to investigate petty crimes?

A police officer is getting paid the same salary regardless of whether they are investigating a crime or not, and regardless of the seriousness of the crime. If resources are available, there is absolutely no reason for them not to investigate a crime no matter how mundane it may sound. And as has already been stated by others, it's usually never just one 'small' crime - it's a string of small ones that when put together can add up to something substantial.
PX Eliezer1
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join:2013-03-10
Zubrowka USA

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You said the person who allegedly stole the gas probably left the country already, just curious how that would be assumed. Was he an American?

-----

Police have to prioritize all the time.

My friend's co-worker was the victim of bigtime identity theft a few years ago. But it wasn't quite $20,000, and US federal authorities told the victim that they don't investigate below that threshold. Prioritization.

Perhaps you are in a smaller community where the police have time to worry about one tank of gas....

Can you imagine going into a police station in Toronto or Vancouver and asking them to investigate that? I bet the reception would not be friendly.

-----

As it is, the Toronto police want small crimes which they define as less than $5,000 to be reported online.
»webapp1.torontopolice.on ··· ort.html

Same for Vancouver. A crime is minor below $5,000.
»cfapp.vancouver.ca/citiz ··· port_wa/

-----

That cop sounds like he could be better used in Halifax or Winnipeg....
IamGimli (banned)
join:2004-02-28
Canada

IamGimli (banned)

Member

said by PX Eliezer1:

You said the person who allegedly stole the gas probably left the country already, just curious how that would be assumed. Was he an American?

Not only that but even if they've left the country charges can still be brought against them and they can still be convicted in absentia, which means the next time they try coming to Canada they'll be arrested and jailed.
Expand your moderator at work

Ian1
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ON

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Re: The ecomonics of crime

If you want to save money on cops doing nothing at often over-time rates, look at the court system. I had to hang out at the Peel court for something a year or so ago, and you'd be amazed how many cops there are doing absolutely nothing except shoot the shit with each other or play with their phones.

I would suggest that they give them brooms and a mop, or a paintbrush, but of course the union would have none of that.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS

said by Ian1:

If you want to save money on cops doing nothing at often over-time rates, look at the court system. I had to hang out at the Peel court for something a year or so ago, and you'd be amazed how many cops there are doing absolutely nothing except shoot the shit with each other or play with their phones.

I would suggest that they give them brooms and a mop, or a paintbrush, but of course the union would have none of that.

They were looking for you and you know it.

Ian1
Premium Member
join:2002-06-18
ON

Ian1

Premium Member

said by DKS:

They were looking for you and you know it.

Nah. They had already found me. That's why I was there!

dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
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join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

cops love their days in court...full pay and not much to do.