Tougher Justice Is the Only Answer to Britain’s Crime Epidemic

Britain is now gripped by a crimewave unlike anything in recent history. According to shocking new figures, shoplifting, fraud, and muggings have soared to record levels. A theft is now committed every minute in the UK, with shoplifting alone up 20% in a year and muggings rising by 15%. Fraud has surged by an unprecedented 31%, with more than 4 million cases annually. The response from our political leaders? Weak, ineffective, and devoid of any real deterrent.

It is no wonder that public confidence in the police and justice system is plummeting. When thieves can walk free with little more than a caution - or no consequences at all - what incentive do they have to stop?

This is why the recent announcement that Colin Sutton, the highly respected former detective who led the Levi Bellfield and other high profile investigations, is joining Reform UK as Police and Crime Adviser, is so significant. With a pledge to halve crime in five years, Reform proposes real, practical steps: reopening 300 police stations, giving every frontline officer a Taser, ending the wasteful pursuit of online speech crimes, and recruiting 30,000 more officers.

But even these positive steps must go further. As a nation, we must decide that crime will always have consequences. All crime - not just the violent or high-profile cases. The current soft-touch approach sends entirely the wrong message.

We need a new social contract: if someone chooses to steal, defraud, or harm others, they forfeit the support of the state. Offenders should lose access to benefits - they have breached the trust that underpins those entitlements. Theft - whether £250 from a shop or millions through fraud - should lead to assets being confiscated and returned to the victim. Restitution must come before rehabilitation.

Carrying a knife must never result in a mere caution. It should mean prison, full stop. The same for firearms - at least a decade behind bars, no exceptions. And when it comes to murder, a 30-year minimum sentence should be the absolute baseline. Anything less is an insult to the victims and their families.

Only through certainty of punishment and meaningful consequences will we begin to restore order. It’s not about vengeance - it’s about justice, deterrence, and protecting the law-abiding majority. We must also remember that many offences are committed by repeat offenders - and when those offenders are behind bars, they are not out committing more crimes. The public is protected. If a murderer is locked away for a whole life term, he or she never reoffends - and innocent lives are saved.

For too long, we have tolerated a system where criminals operate with impunity and victims are left picking up the pieces. The tide must turn. Reform UK’s crime strategy, under Colin Sutton’s guidance, offers at least a step in the right direction. But the nation must go further still if we are to reclaim our streets and rebuild a safer society.

The Hidden Dangers of Weight Loss Drugs: Why Extreme Caution is Needed

In recent years, so-called “miracle” weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic have been hailed as revolutionary tools for shedding excess pounds. From celebrities to everyday people, demand has skyrocketed, driven by promises of rapid results and a slimmer figure. Yet beneath the hype lies a growing body of evidence that these medications can have devastating physical and psychological consequences, and the long-term risks remain largely unknown.

Journalist Shona Sibary recently shared her deeply troubling experience with Mounjaro. After losing 17kg in five months, she found herself spiralling into bulimia for the first time at age 54, compelled to purge after eating and existing on dangerously low calorie intakes between doses. What began as a quick fix to midlife weight gain became a trigger for a serious eating disorder, echoing warnings from experts who note that such drugs can fuel obsessive attitudes toward food and body image, particularly among middle-aged women (see Shona Sibary’s account, Daily Mail, 25th July 2025).

Sharon Osbourne’s experience with Ozempic underscores another alarming risk: extreme and persistent weight loss. The 72-year-old star admitted she now struggles to gain weight back, despite stopping the drug months ago, leaving her frail and frustrated. Doctors remain puzzled by the long-term metabolic effects, highlighting how little we know about the consequences of these medications (“Osbourne & Ozempic”).

Beyond the psychological toll and unpredictable metabolic changes, these drugs carry recognised medical risks. Side effects can range from nausea and diarrhoea to more severe complications like increased heart rate, liver damage, and pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is not only painful and potentially life-threatening in the short term; repeated bouts can lead to chronic pancreatitis, a condition strongly linked to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

Research shows that chronic pancreatitis can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 13 times compared to the general population (Lowenfels et al., Gastroenterology, 1993; Kirkegård et al., Pancreas, 2017). The underlying mechanism is thought to involve repeated injury to pancreatic tissue, ongoing inflammation, and the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations in affected cells.

While a direct link between GLP-1 receptor agonists (such as Ozempic and Mounjaro) and pancreatic cancer has not yet been definitively proven, there is well-documented evidence of acute pancreatitis in some patients taking these drugs (Egan et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014). Both the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advise that patients taking GLP-1 medications be carefully monitored for symptoms of pancreatic inflammation, and that individuals with a history of pancreatitis avoid these treatments.

While there is no denying that obesity poses real health risks and that these medications can be life-changing for those with serious medical need, for many they are being used as a shortcut—often by people who are not clinically obese and could achieve results through healthier means. The price is not just financial, but potentially the sacrifice of long-term physical and mental wellbeing.

Before reaching for an injection or pill, consider the cost: not just in pounds and pence, but in your health, your relationship with food, and the unknown risks to your body years down the line. Sustainable weight management is best achieved through balanced eating, regular activity, and supportive lifestyle changes—not a weekly jab with consequences we are only beginning to uncover.

For most, the safest and healthiest path is the slow, steady one. The promise of a quick fix may simply not be worth the peril. If you do go ahead, please bear this in mind: Analysis of 11 studies of older and newer GLP-1 weight loss drugs by the University of Oxford found that patients typically lost 8kg on weight loss jabs but returned to their original weight within 10 months of stopping them. It might not just be an expensive risk, but also a very temporary one.

Swarovski AX VISIO - When “Smart” Binoculars Get a Downgrade

Swarovski AX VISIO

The Swarovski AX Visio Smart Binoculars are promoted as cutting-edge optics — the “world’s first smart binoculars” — and their specifications reflect that status. Among the headline features is a built-in camera that, according to Swarovski’s own published technical data, captures 13‑megapixel images (4208×3120 pixels). Many early units did exactly that.

However, after updating my unit to the current firmware (v1.3.5), I discovered that every image exported via the Swarovski Outdoor App now measures only 8 MP (around 3400×2550 pixels), not the 13 MP promised in the specification.

When I queried this with Swarovski Customer Services, I was told the reduction results from a new process introduced in the firmware: every image is now automatically rotated and cropped for horizon correction. This happens whether or not there is a horizon in the frame, and there is no option to disable it. As a result, the majority of images are cropped unnecessarily, reducing image dimensions and file size by default.

This approach raises several concerns:

• The effective resolution of the camera has been downgraded below its published specification.
• Horizon correction is applied indiscriminately, with no user control. For me at least this is unnecessary, I can easily straighten an image if I need or want to.
• Swarovski has said only that an option to restore 13 MP capture “may or may not” be introduced in future updates — leaving customers without clarity.
• Owners who have not updated their firmware continue to enjoy true 13 MP output, while those who updated have effectively lost part of the performance they paid for.

In my opinion, the standard image output should remain 13 MP by default, and horizon correction should be a selectable feature, not a mandatory one. Customers also deserve a clear answer as to whether Swarovski will restore full-resolution capture in a future update.

Until that clarity is given, I would advise AX Visio owners not to update their firmware unless they are fully aware of the resolution downgrade and willing to accept it. There does not appear to be any way to reverse the process.

While my dealings with Bruce Dingwall at T4 Cameras in Swindon have been very positive — he has handled this issue fairly and professionally — Swarovski’s handling of this firmware change is disappointing. Reducing a flagship product’s performance without warning, while still advertising outdated specifications, undermines customer trust.

For a premium device aimed at serious enthusiasts, Swarovski should offer transparency, a choice, and a way for users to regain the full performance they paid for.