I have learned the hard way that it is rarely a good idea to try to explain why crimes are committed. Explanation can easily be misinterpreted as justification, and I do not want to be accused of trying to justify crime. Nevertheless, today I feel motivated to ponder on why certain crimes are committed.
Many years ago it was reported on national television that a study had been carried out into what we might call public decency. Wallets full of money had been left lying on pavements in a number of different towns and cities, and each one was handed in to the police station.
Also many years ago, a national newspaper reported a similar experiment, but with different results. Bicycles were left abandoned in towns and cities around the country, and each one was stolen.
How can we explain this? A very simple answer would be that the wallets were all found by decent people, while the bicycles were all stolen by black-hearted villains. This explanation is unlikely ever to be misconstrued as justification.
Unfortunately, I am not satisfied by this simplistic approach, and I feel inclined to delve further into the matter. Why were none of the wallets found by black-hearted villains? Why were none of the bicycles found by decent people?
The second question is not too hard to answer. I will assume that you are a decent person. Suppose you find a wallet lying on the pavement. People do not normally abandon wallets deliberately, and so you assume that it was dropped accidentally. You pick it up, and hand it in at the nearest police station.
Now suppose that you find a bicycle resting against a lamp post. People do not normally leave bicycles by accident, and so you assume that it has been left there deliberately by its owner. You might reflect that the owner of the bicycle is foolish to leave it unattended and unsecured, but that is not your business. You leave the bicycle where it is, and continue on your way.
Do I dare attempt to answer the first question? Yes. The wallets were all found by decent people before the black-hearted villains came upon them. Theft is theft, and I am not inclined to gloss over it. Stealing a wallet is wrong, and stealing a bicycle is wrong.
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