"Britain is not like the Wire"
It's pretty clear that the "The Wire" is making an impact across the pond, both on the debate about crime and perceptions of Baltimore, when the top police official finds it necessary to point out that Britain's crime is nowhere on the level of Baltimore. A politician made the comparison earlier this year, drawing plenty of criticism. That was two months ago, but now Sir Paul Stephenson, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, is underscoring the point in comments to the press following a turnaround on an announcement that police there would begin patrolling with handguns.
As the Times of London reports:
Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said that the annual murder rate in London was two deaths per 100,000 of the population — compared with 35 per 100,000 in Baltimore, where the gritty gangland series is set.
“I still regret it is two per 100,000 population but we need to have a sensible discussion when we are making these comparisons,” Sir Paul said. “When people use these comparisons I want to put the figures in context.”
