Totalitarianism Watch (Not jack-booted thugs but...)

U.K. effort endorses reporting those with assets "beyond their means"

In partnership with regional chapters of the charity group Crimestoppers U.K., multiple local police forces have launched a program called "Too Much Bling? Give Us a Ring." The object of the program is to encourage people who suspect that a neighbor or acquaintance is living off the proceeds of crime to anonymously provide information about that person to the police.
...
A key component of the "Too Much Bling?" program is its effort to tap into any resentment and anger members of the public may feel toward suspected criminals.

In a release issued by the Sussex Police Department, which used the program to help seize more than £1.5 million between April and December of last year, Detective Sergeant Mick Richards said, "Members of the public are sick and tired of seeing people with no legitimate income living a lavish lifestyle. We are working hard towards taking the cash out of crime making use of all the powers granted to us under the Proceeds of Crime Act and other legislation.

"I am very aware that in these difficult times how disheartening it is to see people 'flashing the cash' when you know that it has come from a life of crime and that they appear to be 'getting away with it,'" he said.
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"It's really sort of taking to a new level the idea of ratting out your neighbor," said Michael S. Scott, a associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin and the Director of the Center for Problem Oriented Policing.

"It comes close to some of the methods used in East Germany years ago, where citizens were told to constantly report on their neighbors, which had a very corrosive effect on society," he said.

Michael Scott?

Website for the effort: http://www.2muchbling.co.uk/

How long does it take before someone reports their MP, or the royal family?

I can also see a fair share of false reports being made between neighbours already engaged in bitter disputes.

How long does it take before someone reports their MP, or the royal family?

This is a great idea! Lets start out by arresting that old lady everyone always sees decked out with the nicest outfits and the sweetest cars. Whats her name again? Oh yeah, QUEEN ELIZABETH!

Didn't feel the need for new thread for this...

4-Year-Old Can Be Sued.
Yep, that's right! The law now gives you the power to keep them young punks off your lawn.

Citing cases dating back as far as 1928, a judge has ruled that a young girl accused of running down an elderly woman while racing a bicycle with training wheels on a Manhattan sidewalk two years ago can be sued for negligence.

The ruling by the judge, Justice Paul Wooten of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, did not find that the girl was liable, but merely permitted a lawsuit brought against her, another boy and their parents to move forward.

The suit that Justice Wooten allowed to proceed claims that in April 2009, Juliet Breitman and Jacob Kohn, who were both 4, were racing their bicycles, under the supervision of their mothers, Dana Breitman and Rachel Kohn, on the sidewalk of a building on East 52nd Street. At some point in the race, they struck an 87-year-old woman named Claire Menagh, who was walking in front of the building and, according to the complaint, was “seriously and severely injured,” suffering a hip fracture that required surgery. She died three months later of unrelated causes.

About time they take a hard stance against such dangerous criminals.