Page 1 of Burglars charter

Advice to householders on what force they can use against burglars has been published.

The Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers gives guidance [ online. http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/prosecution/householders.html ] or in leaflets distributed through Citizens` Advice Bureaux and police forces in England and Wales.

It says: "You are not expected to make fine judgements over the level of force you use in the heat of the moment. So long as you only do what you honestly and instinctively believe is necessary in the heat of the moment, that would be the strongest evidence of you acting lawfully and in self-defence. This is still the case if you use something to hand as a weapon."

Like an Uzi ......"Honestly Officer it was the only weapon to hand" :D

Quote:
and in self-defence

This is the bit that confuses me.
Now,if I am confronted by some burglar junkie scum in my home I am not going to wait for him to make the `first move`. >:(
I am going to attack and attack as hard as possible to incapicitate as quickly as possible (and stick the boot in a couple of times when he is out for the count :D )
So,potentially,there would be little/no evidence of him attacking me so I wouldn`t be able to claim self-defence ?

That is the point surely bowfer, just because somebody has broken into your house, you aren`t allowed to beat the living crap out of them.

However I`m sure you are entitled to restrain the burgular, and if in the process you are threatened and must defend yourself, then using reasonable force is going to be a different level of force.

Personally, I`d rather scare them off and call the police, just in case they have a knife. My well earned objects of desire, as nice as they may be and as p***ed off as I would be to see them stolen, are not worth my life or anybody elses.

I`ll just take it out on the squirrels with my Uncle`s air rifle.

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To get the pamphlet to let you know what you can`t and can`t do to a person committing a crime in your own home you have to go to a Citizen`s Advice Bureau to get one.
Daft.

See, the thing is its hard to disprove. As long as you dont kill or main him as far as i can tell, theres no real way to prove he DIDNT take a swing at you as the onus is on the burglar for being in your house.

So if you did catch a thief and struck the first blow, as long as you didnt go overboard (or have witnesses) your home free.

To be honest though, I would be torn between trying to just scare him off and kicking his ass before he tried to kick mine......

Quote:
That is the point surely bowfer, just because somebody has broken into your house, you aren`t allowed to beat the living crap out of them.

Why not though ?
Why should they have the right to any semblance of protection ?

This item was edited on Tuesday, 1st February 2005, 15:18

I`m with Bowfer on this one.
He has no right to be in or on your property as you didn`t invite him to be and he aint there legally, so if he`s breaking the law by being there, then why the hell should the law protect him and prosecute you when you smack him in the teeth?

Sure, taking it to the extremes of "I have a shotgun so I`m gonna kneecap you cause you were here" is a bit over the top, but not the smacked about a bit and given the hint never to cross you again.

Tougher sentences for these thieving little bastards, and unless I`m mistaken they get legal aid if they get caught and taken to court?

Who`s the one laughing here? Us, the law abiding legal persons paying our way to buy what we like and paying for our lawyers when we need them, or the little scumbag who thinks he has every right to steal your property, then if he gets caught have his lawyer paid by the state?

Jimbo : oÞ

"Making Teenagers depressed is like shooting fish inna barrel"

Sorry but if some thieving scumbag gets into my house uninvited I will defend myself, loved ones and property full on - if that means using the pick axe handle under me bed then so be it - i`ll beat the living crap out of the intruder (if I get the chance) and then face the music - i`ll be happy in knowing that I`ve stopped the scumbag doing it to someone else.

I`ve worked hard for what I`ve got and I`m going to do everything in my power to keep hold of it.

Badboybez

In Madness You Dwell

This item was edited on Tuesday, 1st February 2005, 17:18

So if these guidelines cover England and Wales, what happens in Scotland.

Any brave braw lad, north of the border willing to answer ?

What`s "reasonable" in broad daylight will be different to what`s reasonable in the middle of the night when you`re stood there in your PJs.

If you`re going to batter a burglar on your property, I heard you shouldn`t keep something for that purpose that you wouldn`t "reasonably" have to hand - so no pick-axe handles - or it`ll look like you were "lying in wait"... a big bottle of wine or a cricket bat ought to do nicely though,

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