Short messages on UK Crime from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
Prank or ‘hoax’ calls to the emergency services are not only against the law, they cost lives, as they reduce response times of vehicles and staff getting to real emergencies. According to a report in the Times newspaper, hoax emergency calls to UK fire brigades alone cost more than £40 million each year.
A person making a hoax call to emergency services can be taken to court and may face a fine of up to £5,000 and/or be sent to prison for six months. Calls are easy to trace even from a mobile ‘phone.
2 women in the UK are killed every week by a partner or ex-partner, making domestic abuse the largest cause of death worldwide in women aged 19-44 – greater than war, cancer or motor vehicle accidents.
Norfolk Police receive over 30,000 calls every year relating to domestic violence. Domestic violence is illegal and can result in prison sentences for the perpetrator.
You can be fined up to £5,000 and/or imprisoned for 3 months for buying or using fireworks illegally. You could get an on-the-spot fine of £80.
If you are found to have failed to purchase or renew a road tax disc, you will be fined £80. Failure to pay this can result in a County Court Judgement, or having your vehicle clamped. It is difficult to escape paying road tax, as the Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Agency (DVLA) runs monthly computer checks.
If your vehicle is at least three years old, it needs to pass an MOT test before it can be considered roadworthy. Driving a vehicle that has not successfully passed an MOT test is an offence and can land you with a £1000 fine. Driving without a valid MOT invalidates the insurance and if you were involved in an accident you would not be covered.
Driving without car insurance is illegal. If you own a vehicle that is not insured, you can be prosecuted even if you have never driven it. You can potentially be fined up to £5000 if you are caught. You will also be given a number of penalty points on your driver’s licence. You may, in some cases, have your license revoked. As well as driving an uninsured car, it is also illegal to let someone else borrow your car if they are not insured on it.
If you own a car, you must legally have an MOT (if the car is older than three years), a valid Road Tax Disc, and insurance. Failure to have all of these results in fines and prosecutions.
You can report a loan shark in confidence to an Illegal Money Lending Team by calling 0300 555 2222, or by texting LOAN SHARK and any details you want to pass on to 60003.