Should shoplifters get PCNs?

Posted by Cakeyhands@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 49 comments

Don't you find it annoying that if you fail to pay the £2.50 dart charge within 24 hours you owe the government £35. And if you accidentally drive in a clean air zone, you owe the government £120 if you forget to pay on time, which becomes £240 then a visit from baliffs if you ignore it. But if you rob from a business, i.e. you are an actual criminal who is performing crime with intent, notoriously, police won't even turn up, and if they do, you're probably going to get a warning because it's not worth their time. Businesses can submit clear CCTV evidence to the police and it usually won't lead to anything. Why do good people who make small human errors get punished more harshly than actual criminals? Wouldn't policing pay for itself if there was a fixed penalty for shoplifting of any value? say, of like £120, plus the value of the item you stole if not returned? Doubled to £240 if you don't pay after a month. I know there are loads of kinks with this idea - such as homeless people shoplifting who realistically can't pay. People on the dole - well it will be docked from next months dole payments. Laws are never simple and guidelines could be carefully mulled over and created to cover a multitude of scenarios. But for the majority, if they shoplift and there is clear evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, they would get a fine which will pay for police / legal staff time. And if they don't pay, baliffs will e.g. take their TV (oh, you can afford an HD TV, yet are too poor to buy food?). I know a lot of people will say poverty is the problem - but I flat out reject that shoplifting is ever an okay answer. There are legal ways of staying afloat such as food banks and being in contact with social services. And lets face it, not everyone who shoplifts and is on the dole is actually trying to find work. Anyway, enjoy roasting this reasonable idea.