A NEW YORK TIMES article by London correspondent Ceylan Yeginsu said that after a decade of austerity, police in the city were “unable to pursue most suspects involved in minor property crimes.”

The article asked Londoners to tell their stories of how the police had failed to deal with small crimes and Yeginsu revealed she had been a victim of burglary while living in London.

She wrote: “Only 4% of all domestic burglaries in London were solved between April 2017 and April 2018.

“While the number of suspects caught for all crimes has halved over five years to 9%.

“I am a London-based reporter for The Times who has covered crime in Britain for the past two years. Two months ago my apartment was burgled, and I have had my own experience with this.”

Rather than eliciting tales of woe for the journalist to write about, the article triggered a stream of humor and sarcasm.

One responder complained of being served a Darjeeling tea despite ordering an Earl Grey.

A man claimed he had been pick-pocketed by a Fagin-like old man and his gang of orphan children as depicted in Charles Dickens’ “Oliver.”

Another complained of someone pushing in front of them in a queue while someone else said they had witnessed a pigeon steal a mayonnaise sachet from an elderly couple on a park bench.

(SD-Agencies)