rliu

Water and electricity are considered basic human necessities and utilities companies are not permitted by law to cut people off from them easily, ie for a few missed payments. This is particularly the case for water. So therefore people can game that system if they frequently change their address, or if say they are foreign students who will leave after a year so bailiffs would never be able to track them down. This hasn't led to use of criminal law to recover debts in those areas.

It's fair enough being a square. I have posted this on a few forums and the overwhelming response presume I'm trying to get all fare dodgers off the hook. No, I'm just saying the punishment or the debt recovery shouldn't give the rail companies preferential treatment to other utility companies who also operate public infrastructure.

Loz Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Torn on this. On one hand, it is essentially > theft when done on purpose. But there are many > incidents where 'evasion' is accidental or due to > faulty equipment or lack of facilities. > > But aren't you given the opportunity to pay the > fine and it goes no further? Doesn't it only go > to court if you don't pay the fine? > > But, it doesn't matter anyway as your petition > seems to have been withdrawn. Regarding this people are often prosecuted if they object to the fine and ask the inspector to just sell them a ticket. Magistrates Court deal with 90% of crimes, including quite serious ones like burglary and robbery, so it just isn't helpful to society if they have to deal with dozens of train fare prosecutions each week.

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Yeah totally agree it is a problem but I would suggest that train companies employ more staff to sell tickets, and if people get aggressive or rude to train staff get British Transport Police involved and charge them with assault. However from all the internet research I've done I've read so many stories of regular commuters getting prosecuted for incorrect tickets or inattentiveness when swiping Oyster cards etc. I don't see how this is different to people being too busy and forgetting to pay their gas bills etc., for which the provider have no ability to initiate a criminal prosecution.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Par...tters/?nWIoPbb I see so many threads on prosections for fare evasion in all sorts of forums. I have started this petition because I think giving someone a criminal record, and often young people, for dodging a small amount of money for a fare, is just not right. As I explain in the petition I do not condone fare evasion and support all the methods currently used to deter it. However I just think it's fairer for rail companies to recover their loss with fines or through civil courts, rather than give someone a criminal record that affects their employability and ability to live and travel abroad.