Are Social Media Posts Investigated More Than Physical Crimes?

 In an analysis of Britain’s criminal justice priorities in the Sunday Times, Tom Calver lays bare the absurdity of a system where tweeting the wrong thing is more likely to get you arrested than burglary — even though hardly anyone ends up charged, and the public couldn’t care less. Here’s an excerpt:


You do not have to be J.D. Vance to admit that Britain’s approach to free speech can seem a bit heavy-handed. …

As the Times reported last month, the number of people arrested by police for posting online messages jumped from 5,502 in 2017 to 12,183 in 2023 — the equivalent of about 33 a day. By way of comparison, 5,229 people were arrested for fraud offences last year. But strangely, according to Ministry of Justice figures, the number of people who actually end up facing justice for these offences is considerably smaller and has fallen over the past decade....<<<Read More>>>...