Acid Attacks - what do we do?

[meic]

Not really, if there are people out there who would like to run down a muslim, then by dressing as one you are setting yourself up as a target which would not otherwise be attacked. The fact that the Police would investigate before declaring it an accident, instead of immediately declaring it an accident, would be of little benefit or reassurance.

[Ruadh495]

Litmus paper BTW can only tell you that a substance is acidic, so common soft drinks, vinegar etc would register just as much as drain cleaner (Ok, some common soft drinks are drain cleaner...)

Litmus indicates acid or alkali. Remember your school chemistry lesson ditty? Red to blue, alkalu. Blue to red, asaid. Drain cleaner is just as likely to be alkaline (sodium hydroxide) as acid (sulphuric).

Or has litmus paper changed since I last used it in 1969? Quite possible.

Quite correct. But what I'm getting at is that it doesn't tell you how dilute the acid or alkali is. The fact that corrosives can be either acid or alkaline complicates the issue but the problem is worst at the acid end of the pH scale. A 1 Molar Hydrochloric Acid solution (common school bench acid) has a pH of 0 by definition (-log(1)=0). So a pH measuring device won't distinguish between that and concentrated Hydrochloric Acid (10-11 Molar). 1M HCl would sting a bit if you got it in your eye, or an open wound, but can't burn through skin.

Perhaps officers could carry a small piece of magnesium ribbon, or even plain aluminium foil. If a suspect solution eats through that (strong alkalis will also eat aluminium) it could be sent for further analysis.

[Freddie]

Not really, if there are people out there who would like to run down a muslim, then by dressing as one you are setting yourself up as a target which would not otherwise be attacked. The fact that the Police would investigate before declaring it an accident, instead of immediately declaring it an accident, would be of little benefit or reassurance.

You presume there are people that don't feel similarly about cyclists? The point of the exercise would be to determine any disparity between the reaction of the public to cyclist vs Muslim cyclist and the police to an incident reported by a cyclist vs a similar incident reported by a self-described Muslim cyclist wearing traditional Muslim attire.

[meic]

You presume there are people that don't feel similarly about cyclists?

Relative numbers. I imagine there are a lot less who feel strongly enough about cyclists to hunt them.

I can see the theoretical point of the test. I just dont think the information is worth the price that may need to be paid for it.

[mercalia]

seems like it IS getting out of hand?

"The increase has been dramatic. In the 12 months to June 2017, the Metropolitan police recorded 16,158 thefts by people using mopeds – more than three times as many as the 5,145 reported between July 2015 and June 2016. Violent crime rose sharply last year: the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show an 18% increase in offences against the person."

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/22/moped-menace-muggers-vehicle-of-choice-scooters-acid-attacks-phone-robberies?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&utm_term=236194&subid=7646217&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

[Vorpal]

There is a link between economic inequality and crime. The correlation is strongest between conspicuous consumption and violent crime.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... me/381748/

If things are getting worse, it is likely tied to increasing economic inequality.

[mercalia]

There is a link between economic inequality and crime. The correlation is strongest between conspicuous consumption and violent crime.

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... me/381748/

If things are getting worse, it is likely tied to increasing economic inequality.

that makes sense - many would like some of what Chris Evan or Norton has so go and mug /rob him or those similarly placed?

[blackbike]

Seems to be mainly a London problem.

Perhaps acid attacks are just 'part and parcel' of life in a big city, just like terrorism.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 22846.html

[Psamathe]

Just been catching upon the news and, surprise surprise

Government ignored expert advice and relaxed laws on sale of acids used in recent attacks

Tory ministers boasted of 'cutting red tape' as they relaxed regulations on selling dangerous acids - a change campaigners say could have made recent attacks more likely

The Government ignored expert advice and made changes in 2015 that made it easier to buy dangerous acids that have been used in a spate of attacks in recent weeks,

Ian

[Cyril Haearn]

I had not read or heard much about acid attacks until recently. Maybe the media are short of stories cos Chairlady May is in Wales again (shopping in Dolgellau?)

One wonders whether it would be better if such things were reported less so that fewer people got bad ideas

Could try the same with motor crime even, would fewer be tempted to commit it if there were fewer reports?

I understand that reports of suicide of VIPs have been associated with more suicides by *ordinary* people

[Boyd]

Is this a crime that is likely to become more prevalent as the ethnic or foreign born mix gets greater in the UK?

No. We have a long and not-so-proud history of attacks with acid in the UK too (vitriol is the old common name for sulphuric acid), as pete75 mentioned earlier. Did the UK and France export the practice to the rest of the world, even?

Anything else you want to blame the UK for?

[Boyd]

I had not read or heard much about acid attacks until recently. Maybe the media are short of stories cos Chairlady May is in Wales again (shopping in Dolgellau?)

One wonders whether it would be better if such things were reported less so that fewer people got bad ideas

Could try the same with motor crime even, would fewer be tempted to commit it if there were fewer reports?

I understand that reports of suicide of VIPs have been associated with more suicides by *ordinary* people

What should or shouldn't be reported?

[mjr]

Is this a crime that is likely to become more prevalent as the ethnic or foreign born mix gets greater in the UK?

No. We have a long and not-so-proud history of attacks with acid in the UK too (vitriol is the old common name for sulphuric acid), as pete75 mentioned earlier. Did the UK and France export the practice to the rest of the world, even?

Anything else you want to blame the UK for?

I don't particularly want to, but it's only fair to mention how long we've been doing it when people try to blame immigrants for it, as if this is a new problem, which it definitely isn't.

[Erudin]

YouTube: Standing up to terror Is EDC water

[Cyril Haearn]

I had not read or heard much about acid attacks until recently. Maybe the media are short of stories cos Chairlady May is in Wales again (shopping in Dolgellau?)

One wonders whether it would be better if such things were reported less so that fewer people got bad ideas

Could try the same with motor crime even, would fewer be tempted to commit it if there were fewer reports?

I understand that reports of suicide of VIPs have been associated with more suicides by *ordinary* people

What should or shouldn't be reported?

Maybe methods of suicide could be described less
The media feeds on itself and decides what will be reported and what will be ignored
We really don't know what is going on