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Coming Next: Homeowner-Supplied Hand Lotion for Burglars

By Brendan McKenna

Shades of the "nanny state!" The Volokh Conspiracy notes that English police have ordered homeowners to remove wire mesh from their shed windows, because burglars could be injured by the DIY crime-busting handiwork. According to a British newspaper, some residents of Surrey and Kent had installed the mesh after a crime spree but were subsequently told by local police that the wire was "dangerous" and could result in criminals claiming compensation if they "hurt themselves." Writes Eugene Volokh, "It's not clear whether indeed the police ordered residents to remove the wire mesh -- in the sense of threatening them with arrest or prosecution if they failed to comply -- or just advised residents about the possible risk of tort liability. But in any case, something appalling is going on, either in English tort law, or in English police practices, or both." Written by Law.com managing editor Paula Martersteck.

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on February 15, 2011 (boomark / email).