Home
Portal
Gallery
Calendar
FAQ
Search
Register
Log inDinner Party Criminals- Wales – 27 December 2007
Page 1 of 1•
Dinner Party Criminals- Wales – 27 December 2007
by lefty on Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:37 am
TV Licensing exposes the casual law-breakers in Wales
100 per cent of people in Wales say they are innocent, but 16 per cent know someone who breaks the law, and many admit to committing petty crimes themselves, according to research just published by TV Licensing.
The findings of an in-depth survey commissioned by TV Licensing reveal a gulf between people's perceptions of themselves as law-abiding citizens and their actual behaviour. The findings back up TV Licensing's experiences of catching licence fee dodgers. So far in 2007, TV Licensing has caught over 19,600 people watching TV without a licence in Wales alone - all these people risking a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000. TV Licensing's profiling of the evaders it catches shows that they reflect the social make-up of the UK as a whole.
The research found that:
98 per cent of people questioned in Wales agreed that speeding should be against the law, yet one in four said they drive above the speed limit.
People in Wales were more likely to say they would report someone to the police is they knew they had been speeding (41 per cent) than in other parts of the UK like East Anglia, South East England and Northern Ireland (26%)
People in Wales are more likely to avoid paying for tickets on public transport than any other region in the UK with 12 per cent of people saying they'd done so in the past.
More people in Wales said they would tell the police if they saw someone committing petty theft like taking a traffic cone (43%), compared to speeding (41%) and watching TV without a licence (20%).
The report is based on in-depth interviews with more than 1,000 adults across the UK. Nationally, the report shows that men are more likely than women to admit to breaking the law. They were twice as likely as women to drive while talking on a mobile phone (20 per cent of men compared to 10 per cent of women) and three times more likely to admit to being drunk and disorderly (10 per cent compared to three per cent). People working in computing and technology, and construction and engineering were the most likely to commit petty crime, while people working in the media were the most likely to admit to watching TV without a licence. Nearly half of everyone surveyed (47 per cent) said they would be less likely to commit an offence if new technology made it more likely that they would get caught.
Rachael Micallef, TV Licensing spokesperson for
Wales, said:
"At TV Licensing we already know that licence fee dodgers, like other petty criminals, come from all walks of life. But these part-time criminals should not make the mistake of thinking they can get away with it. Our increasingly sophisticated detection techniques, including our database of over 29 million UK addresses, which allows us to see at the touch of a button which properties are unlicensed, and our new hi-tech handheld detectors, mean that people who are watching TV without a licence have nowhere to hide.
"Anyone who watches TV without a licence risks a trip to court and a £1,000 fine. You can buy a licence 24 hours a day, either on our website, www.tvlicensing.co.uk., or by phoning 0844 800 6732."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information, please call the TV Licensing Press Office on 02920 529 373.
Poll conducted by Consumer Analysis Limited in June 2007 with a representative sample of 1,026 people between the ages of 20 and 70 years from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Regional figures match the density of population.
Taken from TVL Annual Review 2006/07
If you use or install television equipment to receive or record television programmes as they are being broadcast, you need to be covered by a valid TV licence. A colour TV licence currently costs £135.50. A black and white TV licence currently costs £45.50.
TV Licensing aims to make it as easy as possible for people to buy a TV licence, which is why there are many different ways to pay.
Over-the-counter - people can now pay at any of over 18,000 PayPoint outlets across
the country
Direct Debit - monthly, quarterly or annual Direct Debit payment schemes are available to licence fee payers
Online - people are now able to pay online at www.tvlicensing.co.uk. with a debit or
credit card
Debit or credit card over the phone - this facility accepts payment from a range of debit cards including Maestro, Delta and Connect
By Post - send a cheque made payable to TV Licensing to: TV Licensing, Freepost, BS6689, Bristol, BS1 3YJ
For more information about any of our payment options and concessions, to set up Direct Debit payments or to pay over the phone by debit or credit card please call 0844 800 6732.
(Press releases)
100 per cent of people in Wales say they are innocent, but 16 per cent know someone who breaks the law, and many admit to committing petty crimes themselves, according to research just published by TV Licensing.
The findings of an in-depth survey commissioned by TV Licensing reveal a gulf between people's perceptions of themselves as law-abiding citizens and their actual behaviour. The findings back up TV Licensing's experiences of catching licence fee dodgers. So far in 2007, TV Licensing has caught over 19,600 people watching TV without a licence in Wales alone - all these people risking a trip to court and a fine of up to £1,000. TV Licensing's profiling of the evaders it catches shows that they reflect the social make-up of the UK as a whole.
The research found that:
98 per cent of people questioned in Wales agreed that speeding should be against the law, yet one in four said they drive above the speed limit.
People in Wales were more likely to say they would report someone to the police is they knew they had been speeding (41 per cent) than in other parts of the UK like East Anglia, South East England and Northern Ireland (26%)
People in Wales are more likely to avoid paying for tickets on public transport than any other region in the UK with 12 per cent of people saying they'd done so in the past.
More people in Wales said they would tell the police if they saw someone committing petty theft like taking a traffic cone (43%), compared to speeding (41%) and watching TV without a licence (20%).
The report is based on in-depth interviews with more than 1,000 adults across the UK. Nationally, the report shows that men are more likely than women to admit to breaking the law. They were twice as likely as women to drive while talking on a mobile phone (20 per cent of men compared to 10 per cent of women) and three times more likely to admit to being drunk and disorderly (10 per cent compared to three per cent). People working in computing and technology, and construction and engineering were the most likely to commit petty crime, while people working in the media were the most likely to admit to watching TV without a licence. Nearly half of everyone surveyed (47 per cent) said they would be less likely to commit an offence if new technology made it more likely that they would get caught.
Rachael Micallef, TV Licensing spokesperson for
Wales, said:
"At TV Licensing we already know that licence fee dodgers, like other petty criminals, come from all walks of life. But these part-time criminals should not make the mistake of thinking they can get away with it. Our increasingly sophisticated detection techniques, including our database of over 29 million UK addresses, which allows us to see at the touch of a button which properties are unlicensed, and our new hi-tech handheld detectors, mean that people who are watching TV without a licence have nowhere to hide.
"Anyone who watches TV without a licence risks a trip to court and a £1,000 fine. You can buy a licence 24 hours a day, either on our website, www.tvlicensing.co.uk., or by phoning 0844 800 6732."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information, please call the TV Licensing Press Office on 02920 529 373.
Poll conducted by Consumer Analysis Limited in June 2007 with a representative sample of 1,026 people between the ages of 20 and 70 years from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Regional figures match the density of population.
Taken from TVL Annual Review 2006/07
If you use or install television equipment to receive or record television programmes as they are being broadcast, you need to be covered by a valid TV licence. A colour TV licence currently costs £135.50. A black and white TV licence currently costs £45.50.
TV Licensing aims to make it as easy as possible for people to buy a TV licence, which is why there are many different ways to pay.
Over-the-counter - people can now pay at any of over 18,000 PayPoint outlets across
the country
Direct Debit - monthly, quarterly or annual Direct Debit payment schemes are available to licence fee payers
Online - people are now able to pay online at www.tvlicensing.co.uk. with a debit or
credit card
Debit or credit card over the phone - this facility accepts payment from a range of debit cards including Maestro, Delta and Connect
By Post - send a cheque made payable to TV Licensing to: TV Licensing, Freepost, BS6689, Bristol, BS1 3YJ
For more information about any of our payment options and concessions, to set up Direct Debit payments or to pay over the phone by debit or credit card please call 0844 800 6732.
(Press releases)
