Benefit fraud measures outlined (crime increase?)

[TheDaddy]

Anyone else think the 4th poll option could've come straight from Gideon's mouth? Comparing benefits cheats to street robbers displayed his true feelings toward us oiks imo, sure no one likes a benefit cheat but to compare them to violent criminals

[Woolly One]

Will crime increase as a result of the outlined benefit fraud measures? simple answer - only time will tell.

not very constructive I know, but true.

Until we know the full extent of this spending review and their proposed timetables. I don't think we will really know what could happen.

[v0id]

Will anything change as a result of the outlined benefit fraud measures? Only time will tell, but probably not

[PeteLockwood]

lol you can claim incapacity and work ? that totally kills the point!!

good these **** BAGS should be punished if they then turn to crime because they already lost there benefits they need to be HARSHLY punished

[SlackDad]

What is most interesting for me is how we interpret the idea of a crime. For instance some stats taken from here http://blogs.thisismoney.co.uk/2010/...racksuit.html:

Estimated cost of benefit fraud: £5.2 billion
Estimated saving of unclaimed benefit: £16 billion
Estimated cost of income tax and corporate tax evasion: £17 billion

Listening to all the rhetoric you'd think benefit fraud is far outweighing anything else which, in purely financial terms, it clearly isn't. But I suppose in terms of the political message and how far we can relate to or feel in some way personally affected by the crime benefit fraud will win every time. I mean it's much easier to feel 'robbed' by the 'sponger' up the road than a faceless corporation based on some offshore tax haven - especially with a copy of the Daily Mail in your hand.

And as for those benefits that go unclaimed well, who cares about that?

As for the OP question, 'will crime increase?' - I very much doubt it but I know where I'd like the govt to focus it's attention.

It doesn't need to be either/or - the Government should focus on all areas of fraud.

[SMG]

The fraudsters who work & claim should be prosecuted. There is a section of our community who refuse to work, & demand benefits. I very rarely watch lunchtime TV, but last week, Philip Schofield interviewed a mid twenties woman who had 7 kids by 7 different men.

When interviewed, she said it was her right to have as many children as she wanted, & an equal right to be paid benefits. Her "partner", who, surprisingly enough was also on benefits said he would not work for less than £500 a week.

What a life eh, stop in bed, have loads of kids, & get some other mug to pay for it all.

It just about summed it up, some people just want to lie in bed & wait for their wages to come through the letterbox.

But you have NO right to stop paying for it.

The whole system is rotten to the core.

[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Anyone else think the 4th poll option could've come straight from Gideon's mouth? Comparing benefits cheats to street robbers displayed his true feelings toward us oiks imo, sure no one likes a benefit cheat but to compare them to violent criminals

They have been losing ground with their Fleet Street cheer-leaders of late, so some good old right-wingery will score a few points with Dacre's hell hounds.

[Gary L]

I was watching my local news earlier and they showed a couple of surveilance videos of incapacity fraudsters. then a few words about how they are all being assessed to see whether they're fit for work.

the thing that annoyed me about it was they said "the government says the money being fraudulently claimed could pay for 200+ new schools, and 150.000 new nurses wages"

as if they would spend the money on any of them anyway! and enough with the mass revolt against people on benefits. even I'm starting to believe they're all **** of the earth and need spitting at when I hear they're unemployed.

then I watched another channel, and they were also fuelling me with the idea that being on benefits means you're a cheat.

one guy said it's not about saving money. it's about saving lives.
I don't know what drugs he'd taken earlier, but he was clearly high as a kite.

Perhaps you are projecting your feelings and thoughts on to the programmes?

There were articles on our local and the national news about benefit fraud, but they did not, in my opinion, state, imply, or infer that all those on benefits were cheats/scroungers/fill in derogatory term of your own choosing.....

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Perhaps you are projecting your feelings and thoughts on to the programmes?

There were articles on our local and the national news about benefit fraud, but they did not, in my opinion, state, imply, or infer that all those on benefits were cheats/scroungers/fill in derogatory term of your own choosing.....

So they're not trying to turn us all against people on benefits with emotional blackmail about schools and nurses then?

thank God for that.

[frogstamper]

It seems you've made up your mind long ago concerning anybody who claims benefits.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by frogstamper

It seems you've made up your mind long ago concerning anybody who claims benefits.

Did I?
I don't think I've had much of an opinion about them really. but if you say I did then who am I to argue?

[pabloo]

Benefit overpayments and fraud is £1 billion per year , unclaimed benefits paid for by the tax payer = £8 billion per year = tax evasion by government figures = at least £15 billion with some putting the current loss at £50 billion

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od

btw your boss ricardo does this

Originally Posted by Gary L

I was watching my local news earlier and they showed a couple of surveilance videos of incapacity fraudsters. then a few words about how they are all being assessed to see whether they're fit for work.

the thing that annoyed me about it was they said "the government says the money being fraudulently claimed could pay for 200+ new schools, and 150.000 new nurses wages"

as if they would spend the money on any of them anyway! and enough with the mass revolt against people on benefits. even I'm starting to believe they're all **** of the earth and need spitting at when I hear they're unemployed.

then I watched another channel, and they were also fuelling me with the idea that being on benefits means you're a cheat.

one guy said it's not about saving money. it's about saving lives.
I don't know what drugs he'd taken earlier, but he was clearly high as a kite.

Actually I understand your point..They may not state it but by inference the words benefit claimants does for some equal cheat..