DJKillaQueen

Your reply though is defensive. Crime has always gone on. And there's nothing wrong with discussing that and ways to minimise becoming a victim of it. But you are trying to repeatedly say that crime has significantly risen in recent months when it hasn't. You have provided no hard facts to dispute the evidence of local well documented crime statistics (apart from accusing them of being untrue and manipulated whilst again providing no evidence of such). Your perception is skewed because you have been a recent victim (and with that we all sympathise). But just because suddenly people are discussing it on a public forum doesn't mean there suddenly are way more crimes than usual. You want to believe what you want to believe and are not listening to those who are trying to correct your skewed perception with the facts.

Pawnbrokers know by experience what happens in the area More than the Police who actually record crime statisitics? Which are NOT manipulted but backed up by the CPS. It would be illegal for those figures to manipulated. You simply do not want to accept the real figures, and I understand you are felling raw after being a victim yourself but please....this crusade to strike fear into us all is getting tedious.

Asking about crime rates in pawnbrokers is hardly scientific Concita and is based on a percieved impression rather than any hard facts. You seem determined to prove that the crime rates are significantly increasing when the statisitecs are not reflecting that. Incidently stolen items taken to pawbnbrokers are often items stolen from other family members and friends and so don't reflect anything.

No it's not Pilgrim....every news report says this dispute is about shift patterns and related changes. And it's failure to agree on those that has forced the management to issue new contracts. There would be no section 188 if your union had come to agreement with the management (but as usual unions think they get to have it all their way or hold us all up to ransom). Anyway, you will not win any dispute this way. Those contracts will come into force and you will choose whether you sign them or you get another job. We have a Tory government remember and you won't win on this. Well Moflo most private sector workers can't afford pensions...public sector workers get generous and afforbale pensions subsidised by tax payers. Public sector workers don't.

J.K. is a knob. Ms Minogue has been in the music and entertainment business far longer than him so he's talking all the crap you'd expect from an ego driven knob. All his music sounds the same anyway.....boring.

This second job nonsense (and that sleeping on shifts supports it) has been known for a long time. Whilst it's only human nature to resist change (esp. change that removes perks), many public sector workers think they have a preferential 'right' to these things. It's OUR taxes that pay their wages, that fund their pensions and perks......I don't see why anyone should have to fund someone else's job benefits when they no such benefits in their own employment (and work many more hours than FFs). We as taxpayers have a right to demand that public services are efficient and cost effective. And like MM I have seen no convincing argument from the FFU to say that any of the changes will result in the claims they make with reference to service. Oh and striking on November 5th is just cycnical and designed to hold the management and us the public to ransom imo but will achieve nothing.

Rihanna was awesome!

ooooooooh..............I see. That's quite clever I think!

I think that's the point isn't it. Certain types of property are more likely to be burgled, others aren't. I've only be burgled once, a garage I rent (and didn't lose very much) but my home is as secure as secure can be and neither me nor my neighbours have been burgled ever. So my perception of the area and crime is going to be very different to that of someone who has been burgled. We have to remeber that it is very distressing for those that are burgled. Even if insured, some items are irreplaceable and no amount of insurance can take away the fear and paranoia that is a totally understandood after effect of knowing someone was in your house. At the same time there are figures that truly show if crime is increasing or not..... It certainly doesn't do any harm if there is a spate of burglaries in an area to publicise them. Victims need to feel empowerment as part of the recovery and also, professional burglars do operate in gangs and target specific areas. Being extra vigilant in those areas might just lead to an arrest - you never know. I still maintain that CCTV is the best method for catching thieves. A good quality four camera hard drive system (which requires no tape changing or daily maintenance can cost as little as ?300. And contrary to what anyone (including the Police) might say, it is NOT a contravention of the Data Portection Act to install CCTV on your property for the protection of your property, even if one camera is pointing into the street. Residential CCTV systems are exempt from the relevant clauses of the Data Protection Act.

HA HA ;-)

When am I ever drunk *cough* ? And don't you know that all the best people are a little unhinged....cetainly the most talented ones are.......!

H has been quite well behaved lately........... What is the points thing you guys are always throwing ad hoc suddenly in a thread? What does 100 mean...or 3500? :))

Unhinged, or drunk......I can't work out which half the time.

Nah Cher and Rebecca were good....the rest were not great.

At the end of the day these epople shouldn't be in this property. If you start bribing people like this to leave then effectively they are getting away with blackmail.

lol...it is a bit of a sinker tonight isn't it (except for Rebecca)........and Katie is having a bad hair day by the looks of things.... Still we have Cher to look forward to yet!

I was thinking inflatable beach balls!

After the conversation we had last night of doing a calendar with carefully placed footballs, we should be >:D

My head is fine...my leg is sore.

Err if you read the thread you'll see that the OP's parents just bought the place and were about to renovate it before doing whatever they intend to do. In fact it was the builder turning up to do the work that uncovered the squatters. These people have no intention of leaving amicably or paying rent. The OP has no other option but to spend this money in order to act quickly on the legal side. If the OP does not get that legal process started within a set time of discovering squatters then it becomes far more difficult a process to evict them. The OP has no other choice if they want the property back within weeks rather than months or worse still years.

Seven is a lucky number and I do believe the official photographer was French....!

Happy to oblige.... :)-D

Here are the brownies in question.....they all went...along with Dita's fabulous Everton cupcakes - what more could my Brithday need?

I accept the point on landlords and lack of tenants but I'm not convinced it will have the impact you describe to the extent required. It will depend on other measures (like the FSA proposed changes to mortgage lending) for any distinct change to happen I think. Plus councils could still house tenants in those properties (because they have a legal reponsibility to house the homeless) and will make up the shortfall that HB won't.... On the point of under 35's...there are many younger people who are vulnerable for whom shared housing would put them at risk. And the average rent of a social housing studio flat is less than that of a single room in a shared dwelling. When I lived in shared houses, they were the most miserable time because of the scumbags I was forced to share with. I know we won't agree on this, but it is stupid to make someone move, esp when they may well be employed again soon. Contract workers and freelance workers will often have a few months between jobs when they may need to claim benefits....do we condemn them to life in a shared household?

I think it's just a case of poor management and marketting. I didn't even know it had floodlit pitches. I can think of several local football teams that would be interested in hiring those.