davieG Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 Hundreds of pom-poms and knitted items have been strung from trees and lampposts to help reduce the fear of crime in an area of Leicester. Leicestershire Police hope the "guerrilla knitting" or "yarn bombing" will encourage more people to use Bede Park and Great Central Way. Some of the park's users told BBC Radio Leicester the items - including tree warmers - do not make them feel safer. But criminologist Charlotte Bilby said they could have a positive effect. 'Something silly' Ms Bilby, a senior lecturer in criminology at Northumbria University, said: "I think that making an area look cosier certainly makes an area feel safer. "If you see something that makes you smile, that makes you think that other people have enjoyed being in that space and have done something funny, something silly in that place, then that's going to change your perception about what it is to be in Bede Park." Sgt Simon Barnes said: "I am really hopeful that the actions will reduce the fear of becoming a victim of crime, as the perception really is much different to the actual reported levels of crime." Many of the decorations were strung up as part of a community event on Saturday. They were made by schools and community groups including the Knitting Guerillas of Birstall. Ms Bilby added: "As we all know more officers on the beat doesn't actually have a massive impact on crime rates in [an] area. "More officers on the beat plus community involvement - community engagement, making sure that people feel part of the community and that the community belongs to them - perhaps that's a better way of making an area feel safer." Do the decorations make you feel safer? BBC Radio Leicester asked people in Bede Park what they thought of the decorations. "I wouldn't say safer but it definitely makes me smile every morning." "When it's dark you can't see them. It's not like they are lights. That's what this needs if it wants to stop crime; better lighting, not things to make it look brighter." "I don't understand why wool would change people's perception on crime and stuff like that. I don't understand why woollen balls are going to fix something." "I suppose it does encourage families and kids and make it look a bit more child-friendly but it's not going to stop crime."
Zingari Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 Isn't it a crime to mis-use public funds? if not it should be.
The Doctor Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 Ridiculous - that money could have been spent on putting Keith Vaz in stocks at the clock tower. Probably could have made money off of doing so as well.
goose2010 Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 surely these are just going to get stole?? "guerrilla knitting" lol
Alf Bentley Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 surely these are just going to get stole?? "guerrilla knitting" lol Or what if there's a cold snap and the pom poms freeze on the trees? They could be used as lethal weapons in a crazy riot - thousands of people rampaging across Leicester, throwing frozen pom-poms at one another...
Zingari Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 We must trust the experts in these matters. If a senior lecturer in criminology thinks it's a good idea, who are we to argue?
lavrentis Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 I like the lights we have in some trees already in some streets in Leicester, they're kinda nice.
Royston. Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 They're not pulling the wool over my eyes, they're obviously hidden camera's.
MooseBreath Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 I can't tell the difference between normal posts and puns on here anymore
Parafox Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 It's plain stupid. Lets hope it's not going to become a pattern. Anyway, who knits these days? Apart from the people who make Shreddies.
Royston. Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 I can't tell the difference between normal posts and puns on here anymore Everything I post is a pun or at least a failed attempt at one.
Zingari Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 Everything I post is a pun or at least a failed attempt at one. Puns aren't supposed to have us in stitches , just gently amused .
21st Century Fox Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 Next weeks story; a mugging where the victim was suffocated with a pom-pom.
goose2010 Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 It's plain stupid. Lets hope it's not going to become a pattern. Anyway, who knits these days? Apart from the people who make Shreddies. randomly on the train on the way back from sheff wednesday away me and my mate had a delightful conversation with a mum and daughter (definitely would!) who were on there way home from a the national Knitting convention in York. We asked if they could knit us some hats at it was pi**ing it down! they declined we then went on to ask if they had to carry a special license to carry their needles. They did give some great banter back to be fair, and my mate got the daughters number still trying to get on her don't think he is having much luck! so in the answer to your question yeah i think there is still a fair few knitting!
Alexikokopops Posted 5 March 2013 Posted 5 March 2013 We must trust the experts in these matters. If a senior lecturer in criminology thinks it's a good idea, who are we to argue? The funny thing is that even if it does make people feel safer (which I doubt) it doesn't really tackle the actual problem of crime!
flowwolf Posted 6 March 2013 Posted 6 March 2013 If a bit more thought had gone into this scheme they could have knitted them in to Pom-Pom guns and hung them in the trees, then members of the public under threat of being tagged by a glue sniffing graffiti artist could simply reach up grab one and deal out instant justice by blowing both legs off or going for the head shot.
MooseBreath Posted 6 March 2013 Posted 6 March 2013 It's not really costing anything. How so? Cost of the cotton shit. Labour to make the cotton shit. Transporting the cotton shit to the trees. Labour to put the cotton shit on the trees. Labour cost of the inevitable lengthy public sector approval process. Media labour. That university bint labour. Ok not all of this had to be directly paid for but it still cost money to someone.
Finnegan Posted 6 March 2013 Posted 6 March 2013 Ugh, if you're going to be pedantic, it's not costing the tax payer anything. They're being contributed by the community and chucked up by a few begrudging police on their usual beats because they've got a moron desk sergeant who thinks it's a good idea.
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