Alina

You're not safe from each other. Right. And that's a problem. Yeah. In the first month alone, traffic deaths doubled, and by January 1942, one in five people had sustained some form of injury from the blackouts.

You're not safe from each other. Right. And that's a problem. Yeah. In the first month alone, traffic deaths doubled, and by January 1942, one in five people had sustained some form of injury from the blackouts.

Now, as all this chaos was unfolding, the question that came about was, what do we do with the nation's countless prisoners that are now, yeah, unlike the free British citizens who could evacuate or hide during an air raid, people in prison and youth detention centers were just sitting targets. It's like, what do you do? Do you just let them be sitting?

Now, as all this chaos was unfolding, the question that came about was, what do we do with the nation's countless prisoners that are now, yeah, unlike the free British citizens who could evacuate or hide during an air raid, people in prison and youth detention centers were just sitting targets. It's like, what do you do? Do you just let them be sitting?

Not all of them are in there for like killing people. You know what I mean? Like, it's like petty crimes are there. Right. And it's like they're just sitting there waiting to be bombed now. So in response, the government implemented a policy where any inmate with less than three months left on their sentence and boys who completed at least six months of their sentence would be released.

Not all of them are in there for like killing people. You know what I mean? Like, it's like petty crimes are there. Right. And it's like they're just sitting there waiting to be bombed now. So in response, the government implemented a policy where any inmate with less than three months left on their sentence and boys who completed at least six months of their sentence would be released.

The result was a massive, massive uptick in criminal activity at a time when law enforcement was already overworked and their attention was understandably in many other places.

The result was a massive, massive uptick in criminal activity at a time when law enforcement was already overworked and their attention was understandably in many other places.

So during this period, police relied on support from civilian volunteers who were instrumental in coordinating air raid precaution efforts and could be identified now, like these volunteer citizens, they could be identified by their helmets and air raid precautions armband. So you could know who you could trust, quote unquote. Mm-hmm.

So during this period, police relied on support from civilian volunteers who were instrumental in coordinating air raid precaution efforts and could be identified now, like these volunteer citizens, they could be identified by their helmets and air raid precautions armband. So you could know who you could trust, quote unquote. Mm-hmm.

But unfortunately, as people are going to do, they're going to people. So petty criminals quickly realized those armbands gave the wearer considerable power. And according to an article by Duncan Campbell, criminals began to kit themselves out with an ARP warden's helmet and armband and smash their way into shops when no one was looking. So they just started using it.

But unfortunately, as people are going to do, they're going to people. So petty criminals quickly realized those armbands gave the wearer considerable power. And according to an article by Duncan Campbell, criminals began to kit themselves out with an ARP warden's helmet and armband and smash their way into shops when no one was looking. So they just started using it.

It's like Ted Bundy carrying around a police badge. Exactly. Exactly. Under the circumstances, law enforcement and the public had to make distinctions between what was and what wasn't behavior worth prosecuting, because they can't go after everybody now. In simple terms, stealing a blanket from a shop would ordinarily be considered theft.

It's like Ted Bundy carrying around a police badge. Exactly. Exactly. Under the circumstances, law enforcement and the public had to make distinctions between what was and what wasn't behavior worth prosecuting, because they can't go after everybody now. In simple terms, stealing a blanket from a shop would ordinarily be considered theft.

But during wartime, most people would probably agree with you that stealing a blanket from a shop to cover a body in the street was probably not criminal behavior. Yeah, fair enough. So things were, lines were being blurred, which makes it very scary. It's never great.

But during wartime, most people would probably agree with you that stealing a blanket from a shop to cover a body in the street was probably not criminal behavior. Yeah, fair enough. So things were, lines were being blurred, which makes it very scary. It's never great.

Now in wartime England, looting and shoplifting alone were such huge massive problems that the court set aside two days each week just to prosecute those charged for those crimes. But they were not the only crimes that were clogging up the courts.

Now in wartime England, looting and shoplifting alone were such huge massive problems that the court set aside two days each week just to prosecute those charged for those crimes. But they were not the only crimes that were clogging up the courts.

The less scrupulous business owners, for example, were known to exploit the rationing of wartime goods by selling additional products at like crazy over, like price gouging, essentially. And even some doctors were more than happy to disqualify a young man from military service just for a few extra bucks. So everybody's suddenly tilting in the wrong direction on the moral scale here. Yeah.

The less scrupulous business owners, for example, were known to exploit the rationing of wartime goods by selling additional products at like crazy over, like price gouging, essentially. And even some doctors were more than happy to disqualify a young man from military service just for a few extra bucks. So everybody's suddenly tilting in the wrong direction on the moral scale here. Yeah.