Well, that’s according to a survey that the Guardian reports on today. It’s important to note that we’re talking about people’s perceptions here.
Britain is perceived as one of the most loutish countries in Europe, according to a new survey published today, just a month before the start of the World Cup in Germany.
The poll, taken in six European countries including the UK, found that 76% of respondents thought Britain had a “big or moderate problem” with antisocial behaviour – a higher percentage than for any of the other countries involved.
Despite riots in the country’s suburbs in November, France was rated just behind the UK (75%), followed by Germany (61%), Italy (52%) and Spain (51%). The Netherlands (44%) were at the bottom of the list.
That’s all very interesting. But I was gobsmacked when I came to the start of the next paragraph.
The survey, which was conducted by University College London’s Jill Dando institute of crime…
Did you see that? The “Jill Dando institute of crime”! Of course it’s good that there’s an institute like this (according to their web site they play “a pivotal role in bringing together politicians, scientists, designers and those in the front line of fighting crime to examine patterns in crime, and to find practical methods to disrupt these patterns”) but naming it after Jill Dando – that’s like something that Chris Morris would come up with.