Murder

[Dick Moby]

I remember when murder made the headlines on the news and papers but now it seems to hardly rate a mention as it's so common place. I live in a fairly small town and I know two people who were murdered and have an old workmate inside for murder. How values have changed.

[Arginald Valleywater]

They obviously weren't Black? If they were their parents would be in The Lords and the investigation would have cost more than the US armed forces budget.

[David Johnson]

Still does make the headlines and TV main evening news.

"but now it seems to hardly rate a mention as it's so common place"

This is not true. The homicide (murder, manslaughter, infanticide) rate is lower than it was about 30 years ago apart from the blip in the figures created by the thankfully departed, Harold Shipman.

[Dick Moby]

David, explain to me why there was never any murders in my town when I was young and now I know of three in the last few years ?

[Sam Slater]

Luck? Maybe you didn't listen to the news so much when you were younger? Maybe there wasn't so many 24 hour news channels and social media when you were younger?

[Dick Moby]

Sam when you live in a small town you don't need news channels. You meet people in the street and you get told what's happening or you hear it in the pub.

[David Johnson]

No idea. That is what happens sometimes.

That is why stats offices keep data about the number of homicides to see if there are underlying trends.

The fact that overall homicides have been going back down suggests that there are less murders in some areas to counter more in others.

[Dick Moby]

Not buying it David. I think we all know how figures can be "massaged". If a small town has 3 murders in recent years to me that means the trend is going up.

[David Johnson]

You are talking about the local. I am talking about the national picture. You can't extrapolate from one example of the local to get a national picture and make generalised comments like murder is commonplace.

Lets say in the year before Harold Shipman was caught there had been one homicide in the area in which he practised. Shipman was found to have committed 15 murders.

If I lived in that area and told you that murder was commonplace and that the murder rate in the UK had gone up 15 fold you would think me bonkers.

And you would be correct.

[Sam Slater]

Well, when you were younger fewer people stopped you in the street to discuss local murders because you were a kid. And being a kid you'd spend less time listening to gossip in the pub.

Possible?