UK won't survive if leaders don't step up and admit terrifying reality about crime

OPINION

Lady Justice is supposed to be blind — not blindfolded to the truth or turning a blind eye to so-called ‘protected groups’. Crime in Britain is out of control. That’s not hyperbole. That’s not political theatre. That is a fact. Petty crime is at a 22-year high. Knife attacks, rapes, burglaries, drug-related violence – all on the rise. We are witnessing the slow-motion collapse of civil society, and all the establishment parties can do is mumble the same tired mantra: “More police on the streets.”

Well, Advance UK say: you cannot arrest your way out of an ideological collapse. Yes, we need a stronger police presence. Yes, we need properly resourced frontline policing. But that is not the core of the problem. The root issue is far deeper. It lies in a criminal justice system, political class, and institutional mindset that no longer believes in holding criminals accountable.

A system that increasingly views criminals as victims — and, in doing so, forgets the real victims entirely. Let’s start with the phrase that should be banned from every politician’s lips: petty crime.

There is no such thing. Every crime has a victim. Shoplifting? It’s the small business owner who’s driven to the wall. It’s the security guard assaulted for doing their job. It’s the rest of us, paying higher prices to cover the losses.

“Petty” is code for “we don’t care.” It’s a green light to criminals that nothing will happen. And what is the result of this thinking? Criminals no longer believe they’ll be caught. They no longer believe they’ll be punished. And why would they?

The chances of apprehension are slim. The chances of a serious sentence even slimmer. And God forbid we actually keep someone in jail for the full length of their sentence – in today’s Britain, criminals are released after serving just 40% of their time.

This culture of appeasement and excuses hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the result of decades of ideological decay — a warped vision of justice that sees evil as “misguided,” rape as “a complex societal issue,” and criminality as a product of “deprivation.”

Our institutions treat criminal behaviour like a mental health condition. They coddle offenders, downplay their actions, and offer early release as if it were a bonus scheme.

And worst of all? Victims are forgotten. Left behind. Treated with suspicion or indifference by the very institutions meant to protect them. Ask the victims of grooming gangs across this country what justice looks like. Ask the families of murder victims.

Ask the communities terrorised by drug violence, looting, and assaults. Advance UK says: enough. We will end this madness. We will tear up the failed ideologies that have corrupted our justice system.

We will make clear — to every would-be criminal in Britain — that if you break the law, you will be caught, you will be charged, and you will be jailed for a sentence that fits your crime.

That is not vengeance — it is justice. And it doesn’t stop at crime on our streets. The same mindset that excuses homegrown criminality also invites illegal migration across our borders. These are not “irregular migrants.”

They are criminals at the point of entry. They broke the law. Yet we hand them hotel rooms, legal protections, and endless appeals – while law-abiding British citizens get left behind. Our country has lost sight of what it means to uphold the law.

No other political party dares to speak plainly about this crisis. No other party is willing to confront the toxic mindset that treats criminals as misunderstood victims and sees law-abiding citizens as privileged obstacles to “equity.” Advance UK is different.

We will bring clarity where there is cowardice. Courage where there is confusion. And justice where there is rot. If you believe in restoring law and order, if you want a government that defends the innocent and punishes the guilty, then join us.

Advance UK is the only party with the courage to call out the lies, tear down the excuses, and fight for the future of this country. There is no such thing as petty crime — and Britain will not survive until we remember that.