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Craig Moore: Hero or Villian?
Hero? 39%  39%  [ 14 ]
Hero? 39%  39%  [ 14 ]
Villian? 11%  11%  [ 4 ]
Villian? 11%  11%  [ 4 ]
Total votes : 36
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 19:00 
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You'll all know the story about Craig Moore.

PR352: Craig Moore: Hero or villain?

news: for immediate release

Craig Moore has been sentenced today to four months in jail after using
thermite to destroy a speed camera according to reports.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "We have got to the point where literally millions
of motorists wish they had the 'guts' to destroy speed cameras. Some will
regard Craig Moore as a hero or a freedom fighter. This is symptomatic of a
national road safety policy that ran off the rails years ago. The speed camera
programme is now a runaway gravy train, and it must be stopped."

"Far from improving road safety, speed cameras have made matters much worse,
leading to road deaths being one third higher now than anyone would have
predicted before cameras were installed."

"Safe Speed certainly does not condone camera vandalism, but we come into daily
contact with the extreme frustration experienced by motorists that ultimately
causes it."

"Speed camera vandalism is reaching epidemic proportions, and the only
solution is to scrap the cameras. Apart from their total failure to deliver
improved road safety, they push good people outside of the law every day of the
week."

<ends>

Notes for editors
=================

BBC news website story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manc ... 320092.stm

=================

I was on BBC Radio Yorkshire today for 45 minutes while they ran a 'Hero or Villian' text poll. 70% of the public texted 'Hero'.

What do you think?

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 19:14 
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Perhaps we should have an "idiot" option as he destroyed a non type-approved camera that couldn't have prosecuted him anyway.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 19:27 
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PeterE wrote:
Perhaps we should have an "idiot" option as he destroyed a non type-approved camera that couldn't have prosecuted him anyway.


But he wasn't to know that.

I voted hero, but I wouldn’t say he’s a hero as such, and he’s not a villain. He has just done what allot of other people would like to do. If speed cameras where all about safety I would think different about this, but speed cameras are not about safety and are only being used to antagonise and make criminals out of ordinary drivers and shore up Mr Browns coffers. I say is it’s a shame he got caught. Although he doesn’t deserve it, the only reason he’s been sent to prison is to try and put the frighteners on other’s doing the same thing.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 19:30 
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I can’t consider him to be a hero because he acted purely out of self-interest, even though his actions reflect the sentiments of such a great many.
On the other hand, I can’t consider him to be a villain either because I don’t view his actions to be negatively impacting individuals/society (unless that particular camera really is needed to enforce a realistic speed limit at that time of day, itself highly unlikely).

'None of the above'


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 00:16 
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PeterE wrote:
Perhaps we should have an "idiot" option as he destroyed a non type-approved camera that couldn't have prosecuted him anyway.


Yeah. But I wanted to quickly see if the opinions here broadly matched those revealed by BBC Radio Yorkshire - so I asked exactly the same question. And so far they do.

It's utterly remarkable that 70% or so think that someone who destroys public property is a hero, and a sure sign that we're winning the war.

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 09:10 
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SafeSpeed wrote:
It's utterly remarkable that 70% or so think that someone who destroys public property is a hero, and a sure sign that we're winning the war.


70% of those who were pre-disposed to respond.


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 09:27 
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Rigpig wrote:
SafeSpeed wrote:
It's utterly remarkable that 70% or so think that someone who destroys public property is a hero, and a sure sign that we're winning the war.


70% of those who were pre-disposed to respond.


Quite so. Although I would have expected that those outraged by vandalism would be more vocal than than those cheering. It's the grumbling classes verses the NIMBYs and the NIMBYs are usually louder.

But let's be perfectly clear about this - I'm *guessing* (although the guess is based on experience).

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 16:22 
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I went for the first option as he was doing a public service...

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 16:27 
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SafeSpeed wrote:
...Although I would have expected that those outraged by vandalism would be more vocal than than those cheering. It's the grumbling classes verses the NIMBYs and the NIMBYs are usually louder.


But is destroying a cashcam really "vandalism"?

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PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 16:38 
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BottyBurp wrote:
SafeSpeed wrote:
...Although I would have expected that those outraged by vandalism would be more vocal than than those cheering. It's the grumbling classes verses the NIMBYs and the NIMBYs are usually louder.

But is destroying a cashcam really "vandalism"?

Good question. It seems to fit the OED definition technically, but perhaps not in terms of implication:

Vandal:

A n. 1 Hist. A member of a Germanic people who in the 4th and 5th cents. invaded parts of western Europe, esp. Gaul and Spain, and finally migrated to N. Africa, sacking Rome on a marauding expedition in 455. Usu. in pl. OE.

2 A person who acts like a barbarian; a wilful or ignorant destroyer of property, or of anything beautiful, venerable, or worthy of preservation. M17.B adj. 1 Hist. Of or pertaining to the Vandals or a Vandal. E17

2 Wilfully, ignorantly, or ruthlessly destructive, esp. of things of beauty or historic interest; barbarous, rude, uncultured. E18.3 Characterized by vandalism or lack of culture; vandalistic.

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PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 02:56 
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Personally, not that I would condone or advocate such behaviour, I've often sat and pondered what would happen to all the other talivans were some very, very pissed off motorist to strap 20lbs of tnt to his chest and wander up to one and remove it along with himself all at once or perhaps pay the ticket office a call in person.

I wonder whether our politicains would then do something about this immediately or not.

Speed cameras are nothing more than the tools of thieves. They are used to procure 'evidence' to legitimise theft from ordinary people going about their ordinary business.

Now if they were used properly - as in in conjunction with CCTV taken at the same location at the same time and could show inappropriate speed given the hazards at the time, I would support them.

The same can be said of red-light cameras. Where the pricks running the so called SCPs fall down on red-light cameras is when they nick people getting out of the way of Ambulances which have their blues & twos going, as took place in Doncaster 6 months ago.

Cameras need to be given to Policemen with the order to use discretion. Yes - please follow and nick the tailgaters on motorways. These people are accidents waiting to happen. But there's little money in this.

So my view on this overall is this:

Would I damage a camera myself? No. I haven't got the courage to; I don't want a criminal record and I don't want the aggravation.

Would I stop someone / report someone I saw damaging a camera? Absolutely no way. Even if I were seen at the scene on CCTV as an 'innocent passer by' by my number plate had been picked up by the said CCTV - even in those circumstances if the police came to call to ask what I'd seen, I would tell them nothing.

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