Witnessing Crime

If a couple are shouting aggressively at each other in public, should I intervene?

A couple shouting aggressively at each other in public is a bit of dilemma really, because the danger is if you intervene into what was an argument and actually escalates into something worse, potentially, either or both of the people involved, could actually end up turning on you and you may then become the focus of the aggression or incident, that's one potential scenario. The other one is obviously that you actually witnessed something that started off as an argument but then became something more, and I think if you witness aggressive behavior to the point where you're actually concerned about someone's physical safety then you should contact the police to inform them of what's happening so the police can come along, attend and deal with the incident.

What should I do if I know someone who carries a weapon illegally?

I think the first thing to point out is that people who carry a weapon illegally obviously stand a good chance of being prosecuted if they're in possession of such a weapon. They actually statistically are more likely, then, to become a victim of a crime or escalate an incident into something far worse than it would be, by either using or bringing in the weapon. They also risk becoming the person who's committing a serious crime if they carry a weapon. I think if you know somebody who is in possession of a weapon you should discourage them from, from using it and that you should discourage them from actually being in possession of it, and if they still don't then you should report them. That can be done either directly to the police or anonymously to constables at 0800555111 and action will be taken to resolve that. The bottom line, really, is that people who are in possession of offensive weapons in the street put their own safety at risk and seriously put at risk members of the public and they should be aware that police will do all they can to catch such people and prosecute them.