Run! It's a monochrome, limbless, hammerhead space cop!
So, what with that video game called GTA IV out on the streets as a potential mind-destroying menace to the children (and servants probably), just how hard has the law clamped down on evil retailers selling to the youth?
This question came up in the House of Commons yesterday when David Ruffley (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Bury St Edmunds, Conservative) asked Vernon Coaker (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Gedling, Labour) the following.
"...how many offences (a) in England and Wales and (b) in each police force area were recorded in respect of retailers selling video games or DVDs to underage customers in each year since 1997; how many related police cautions were issued in each of those years; and (i) how many related fines were issued and (ii) what the average fine levied was in each of those years."
Well, Vernon was ready with the stats - well, with some stats.
"Information on the number of recorded offences of retailers selling video games or DVDs to underage customers is not collected centrally. This is a summary offence and is not included in the police recorded crime statistics", he said.
"Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the following table for 1997-2006," he continued. Now, bear in mind that the following - pathetic - stats are not even split into Video Game retail versus Movie retail. So, it's really no huge shock that they're not collated centrally. In fact, as far as we can see, either retail is verging on the saintly, or the law is an ass. Here goes - the stats are tabulated in in as follows: 'Year' - 'Number of police cautions issued' - 'Number of fines imposed' - 'Average fine amount'.
1997 ..... 1 ..... 15 ..... £519.00
1998 ..... - ..... 18 ..... £440.00
1999 ..... - ..... 33 ..... £798.00
2000 ..... - ..... 16 ..... £1,028.00
2001 ..... - ..... 9 ..... £1,378.00
2002 ..... - ..... 12 ..... £1,079.00
2003 ..... 1 ..... 14 ..... £921.00
2004 ..... - ..... 6 ..... £775.00
2005 ..... - ..... 8 ..... £489.00
2006 ..... - ..... 8 ..... £1,244.00
Yes, what did happen to 2007? Sigh...
Source: They Work For You
This question came up in the House of Commons yesterday when David Ruffley (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Bury St Edmunds, Conservative) asked Vernon Coaker (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Gedling, Labour) the following.
"...how many offences (a) in England and Wales and (b) in each police force area were recorded in respect of retailers selling video games or DVDs to underage customers in each year since 1997; how many related police cautions were issued in each of those years; and (i) how many related fines were issued and (ii) what the average fine levied was in each of those years."
Well, Vernon was ready with the stats - well, with some stats.
"Information on the number of recorded offences of retailers selling video games or DVDs to underage customers is not collected centrally. This is a summary offence and is not included in the police recorded crime statistics", he said.
"Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the following table for 1997-2006," he continued. Now, bear in mind that the following - pathetic - stats are not even split into Video Game retail versus Movie retail. So, it's really no huge shock that they're not collated centrally. In fact, as far as we can see, either retail is verging on the saintly, or the law is an ass. Here goes - the stats are tabulated in in as follows: 'Year' - 'Number of police cautions issued' - 'Number of fines imposed' - 'Average fine amount'.
1997 ..... 1 ..... 15 ..... £519.00
1998 ..... - ..... 18 ..... £440.00
1999 ..... - ..... 33 ..... £798.00
2000 ..... - ..... 16 ..... £1,028.00
2001 ..... - ..... 9 ..... £1,378.00
2002 ..... - ..... 12 ..... £1,079.00
2003 ..... 1 ..... 14 ..... £921.00
2004 ..... - ..... 6 ..... £775.00
2005 ..... - ..... 8 ..... £489.00
2006 ..... - ..... 8 ..... £1,244.00
Yes, what did happen to 2007? Sigh...
Source: They Work For You
Comments
Horatio 1 May 2008 11:29
1/5
It's a difficult subject this one, isn't it?
On the one-hand, the idealist within me wishes that the entertainment stores did act saintly and that our police forces and system of law could be used to catch real criminals - y'know, the ones who are stabbing people and such.
But on the other hand, I wish that the entertainment stores, who are very obviously not saints (profiteering sinners!) would get fined to oblivion for not doing what they have been asked, nay told, to do!
Yet, I'm also annoyed with the parents who are handing large sums of money to their offspring and are either a)not checking what the money has bought or b)not caring. If I'd have asked my parents for £40 for a game when I was 12, you could be damn sure that (should they say yes) they'd be at my side checking up on what the money was spent on!
And you can look at this on so many other levels. Again, I'm an idealist at heart, so in my mind, the store clerks themselves have a morale obligation to not sell content to the under-age. If I were working in a GAME or wherever, and Johnny-12-yr-old came to the counter with GTA4, I'd send him packing and I wish that others would think that way too.
I can't really blame the kids for trying to buy the content though :-) I know I did!
Anyways, why did the question come up in parliament? Random event? Or is the release of GTA4 responsible for our MPs taking a closer look at these things?
On the one-hand, the idealist within me wishes that the entertainment stores did act saintly and that our police forces and system of law could be used to catch real criminals - y'know, the ones who are stabbing people and such.
But on the other hand, I wish that the entertainment stores, who are very obviously not saints (profiteering sinners!) would get fined to oblivion for not doing what they have been asked, nay told, to do!
Yet, I'm also annoyed with the parents who are handing large sums of money to their offspring and are either a)not checking what the money has bought or b)not caring. If I'd have asked my parents for £40 for a game when I was 12, you could be damn sure that (should they say yes) they'd be at my side checking up on what the money was spent on!
And you can look at this on so many other levels. Again, I'm an idealist at heart, so in my mind, the store clerks themselves have a morale obligation to not sell content to the under-age. If I were working in a GAME or wherever, and Johnny-12-yr-old came to the counter with GTA4, I'd send him packing and I wish that others would think that way too.
I can't really blame the kids for trying to buy the content though :-) I know I did!
Anyways, why did the question come up in parliament? Random event? Or is the release of GTA4 responsible for our MPs taking a closer look at these things?
Joji 1 May 2008 12:58
2/5
I think the only way to really combat this is for retailers to update their computer til systems and record who the purchase is and what age they are.
For any 18 game sold, the til should flag the sale, prompting the sales assistant to ask to see some valid ID. Once to ID is produced, it can be scanned into the computer and kept as reference. If this same customer attempted to buy an adult game for a minor, and the sales assistant realised this, he or she would have the right to submit their details to the powers that be (what good that will do).
Kids will always want that forbidden fruit, and rightly so.
For any 18 game sold, the til should flag the sale, prompting the sales assistant to ask to see some valid ID. Once to ID is produced, it can be scanned into the computer and kept as reference. If this same customer attempted to buy an adult game for a minor, and the sales assistant realised this, he or she would have the right to submit their details to the powers that be (what good that will do).
Kids will always want that forbidden fruit, and rightly so.
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deleted 1 May 2008 14:05
3/5
Horatio wrote:
Yet, I'm also annoyed with the parents who are handing large sums of money to their offspring and are either a)not checking what the money has bought or b)not caring. If I'd have asked my parents for £40 for a game when I was 12, you could be damn sure that (should they say yes) they'd be at my side checking up on what the money was spent on!
My eldest gets £10 per week spending money shes 9 and if she wants the new sims game or somethign she saves for a few week and has the amount to purchase which i then do online at best price for her, but its not surprising nowadays that kids have £40-£50 disposable on them!
i used to buy 20 cigs and sell singles for 30p each and make double my money back! kids will always find a way to get th emoney behind parents backs (even steal).
Horatio 1 May 2008 14:25
4/5
haritori wrote:
My eldest gets £10 per week spending money shes 9 and if she wants the new sims game or somethign she saves for a few week and has the amount to purchase which i then do online at best price for her, but its not surprising nowadays that kids have £40-£50 disposable on them!
i used to buy 20 cigs and sell singles for 30p each and make double my money back! kids will always find a way to get th emoney behind parents backs (even steal).
£10 a week for a 9-yr old, I really am getting too old, I'd have been lucky to get that in a month! It's good to hear that she doesn't have free reign with that too!
Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that if a "young person" wants something badly enough, they'll find a way... I was just saying that there are parents out there who don't care enough to check and or, worse, knowingly allow the purchase.
deleted 1 May 2008 14:31
5/5
Horatio wrote:
haritori wrote:
My eldest gets £10 per week spending money shes 9 and if she wants the new sims game or somethign she saves for a few week and has the amount to purchase which i then do online at best price for her, but its not surprising nowadays that kids have £40-£50 disposable on them!
i used to buy 20 cigs and sell singles for 30p each and make double my money back! kids will always find a way to get th emoney behind parents backs (even steal).
£10 a week for a 9-yr old, I really am getting too old, I'd have been lucky to get that in a month! It's good to hear that she doesn't have free reign with that too!
Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware that if a "young person" wants something badly enough, they'll find a way... I was just saying that there are parents out there who don't care enough to check and or, worse, knowingly allow the purchase.
of course, she only gets the £10.00 on condition of doing her bedroom and helping Mum round the house and also she must try hard at school and in her after school dancing classes and the boys 6 and 3 dont get pocket money they just demand (LOL) games and things but i completely understand what your saying there are kids who just get give this kind of money to go out unattended to spend willy nilly,