More 'tough on crime' stuff

Its great when a plan comes together and a gang of ruthless car thieves are brought to book, the cost of the operation to arrest them and subsequent investigation, the process through our fine court system and the strong deterrant sentencing which is sure to make them think seriously before re-offending.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6710897.stm

Lets see, £4.5 million worth of high quality cars, some of them stolen at knifepoint or a gunpoint during car-jackings, (sounds like robbery to me) although most were stolen in burglaries. More than 190 cars in total. The amount of grief this lot must have caused to the victims is unthinkable. They were described as being "a particularly ruthless organised criminal network." They engaged in excessive violence through robberies or burglaries with no regard for the trauma and anguish caused to their victims.

There's that word again, victims.

They were part of a highly organised gang cloning and then selling high quality cars. They assisted in disposal of the cars and benefitted from selling them, they are as guilty as those who actually stole them. Lets see, £4.5 millions between them, not bad I'd say. I don't know how much we recovered from them, or how much the tax man claimed from them.

So you would imagine that suspended sentence, community service and various terms of imprisonment up to 5 years would be a satisfactory conclusion ?

Its great to know that the system is being tough on crime, we can all sleep a great deal easier now. I imagine the victims are all very satisfied with this result, aren't they ?