Robbery in the Kirkstall Brewery!

Now I know why the crooks of Leeds want to steal cars like mine: to commit other crimes. This happened last night, from Sunday to Monday - at my former accommodation Kirkstall Brewery. Some guys stole a Jeep Cherokee, drove it into the reception of the Brewery, and stole the free-standing ATM machine from the lobby. Here are the official details, and here is the BBC report. If I would have still lived there in the Tower Flat, I could have witnessed the ongoing commotion - and it would even be possible for those robbers to walk up into my flat...

I am starting to wonder what it is with the city of Leeds, with this region. Never have I lived in an area where so much criminality is happening. Something is wrong here in this society. The people I know are all very decent folks. But I must surrounded be a large criminal undercurrent. Sometimes I meet this "undercurrent", walking on the streets, looking for trouble, up to no good. But the British society has somehow the tendency to "look the other way", to keep calm and quiet, to be politically correct. It would probably be considered to be an offense, if I would call those criminals here "... (censored by myself)" - which they are indeed. But the British society is very keen on not offending anyone. I see this on TV in the news where there is such a display on political correctness, and always there is someone who is offended by the remarks of someone else. It seems that society here has given up on the decent side. In many places in Leeds I see signs "thieves are operating in this area". It seems that these signs have been put up to legitimise the thieves, to tell that it is the victims' fault if they get mugged or robbed ("you have been warned!"). What I have not seen here are signs that are common in the US: "No trespassing here - or you will get shot!" While in general I do not approve this attitude, I sometimes really miss those signs...

British prisons are full. As recently published studies have shown, the British youth is "the worst" in Europe, both in their own experience which they have while growing up here, and in the view and reputation they have in the eyes of other Europeans. What is going wrong here in Britain?

You can tell that I am getting more and more upset about the situation here...