The crime correspondent of The Daily Telegraph recently wrote: "Falling police numbers have created deep problems in the inner cities with violence and disorder amounting to 'anarchy' outside pubs and clubs at night in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester." These are four of England's major population centers.

Some city forces are policing difficult areas with only half of the officers available five years ago. For this and other reasons (i.e., the general breakdown of society), mindless thuggery is definitely on the increase in England.

Somewhat symbolic of what is happening to British society were the thousands of pounds of damage caused to a London bus by rioting pupils. The indignant bus company CEO reacted by personally driving this bus to the school premises and showing the headmaster the massive damages to the interior. Then he promptly cancelled all runs to this London school.

Of particular concern were the London riots that occurred on the first of May when the finest officers of the Metropolitan Police squared off against 4,000 anticapitalist protesters near the Houses of Parliament. But before these violent rioters were fully brought under control they had managed to deface Sir Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square plus a treasured war memorial in the area-both historic symbols of British willingness to protect their national integrity.

Churchill is a national hero universally credited with being one of the most important World War II leaders who helped save the world from fascism. In many people's minds he was Britain's man of the century. Yet these violent thugs deliberately desecrated his statue and daubed it with the word "murderer."

Daily Mail columnist Lynda Lee-Potter commented, "This vile anarchic army of would-be destroyers was recruited through the Internet. The potential viciousness on the day appealed to every failure, every embittered useless troublemaker and yob in the land.

"The genuine protesters were totally swamped by those who had destruction in their hearts" (emphasis added). But the Bible counsels all who would place themselves in a position where they could be potential accomplices to the desecration of revered national monuments. "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people" (Exodus 22:28). Also: "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil" (Exodus 23:2).

A whole generation in Britain has not been taught even the most basic of biblical teachings-the Ten Commandments. We are now reaping the bitter fruits of our careless neglect. ( The Daily Mail, The Economist, The Daily Telegraph (all London).)