NI crime scenes declining...

Crimes recorded in NI down by 3,000 on previous year

"There were 100,389 crimes recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in 2012/13 compared with 103,389 in 2011/12, a decrease of 3,000 (2.9%)..."

Read the full article here.

Now, I'm not going to suggest that there is a direct link between the fall of Northern Irish crime and the rise in Northern Irish crime fiction -- that'd be crazy talk -- but maybe the good people of NI owe it to the likes of Adrian McKinty, Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Claire McGowan and the rest, to pick up one of their books. Maybe two. If nothing else, it'll fill the hole that a lack of criminal enterprise in 2013 has created.

God Loves a Trier?

Got a wee chuckle courtesy of BBC Radio Ulster on the way home from work today. You can (and should) read about the fittingly named lorry driver who 'thought his £5 million cocaine haul was bibles' on the BBC NI website.

I gotta say, if you're going to tell a lie, make it a good big one, right? Oh, but it's only a charge, so maybe I should add 'allegedly' to that wee jibe...

Digging for Gold

A new crime craze has swept Northern Ireland. Graceless gangs of thieves have been using stolen diggers to smash and grab entire cash machines from unsuspecting buildings bringing a whole new meaning to the term 'hole in the wall'. But they've been sloppy in their disposal of the evidence.

'The remains of two ATMs have been found by police in County Fermanagh.'

Lads! You had a feckin' digger at your disposal. It doesn't get any easier to bury the incriminating remains.

Not sure how the PSNI will put an end to this spate, but next time you need to get some cash out make sure nobody can see your PIN number as you tap it in, check that the machine hasn't been tampered with and look over your shoulder for bloody big juggernauts wielding shovels.

This has been a CSNI public service announcement.

Belfast Pickpockets

I've been toying with the idea of blogging about true crime in Northern Ireland for a while now. Figured I'd kick it off with a video just released by the PSNI. Call it public service or something. But aside from it being a warning to all you Crimbo shoppers, I found the method kind of fascinating. Ham-fisted, graceless and about as subtle as a brick in the face, but still fascinating.

Judge for yourselves. You'll find the video on the BBC NI website.