Noninvolvement, British Style

On a busy street in Portsmouth, England, the usual swell of pedestrians was going about the business of the day when suddenly some men appeared dragging a 13-year-old girl. She fought and screamed, begging for help as the men forced her into a car. No one did anything; some of the pedestrians did not even stop walking. When the car finally sped away with its captive, not one of the bystanders even took down the license. number. "Yes, I heard the girl screaming," said one man later. "But I didn't take any notice."

Last week some Britons took notice.

The incident had been filmed by the Southern Independent Television Network and was broadcast on nationwide TV. It had been staged with the help of local police, who played the abductors. Said the program announcer: "Apathy toward crime is astounding." As further proof, ITV showed some other crimes staged before a public that did not want to get involved. In a jewel robbery, the "thieves" ran from the store with their loot in plain view, carrying an injured man whom they threw in the trunk of the getaway car. Again, no one made a move to interfere and no one noted the license plate. Just as impassively, onlookers looked on as a pair of "robbers" smashed a store window and started looting. Only one man, a 35-year-old civil servant, lunged forward to tackle one of the looters. No one else moved.

ITV's candid camera also documented another strange facet of British urban life. Housewives were shown letting strange men into their homes who were wearing only milk-bottle tops as badges. Phony TV repairmen were admitted by women who did not even have sets. Interviewed later, the same women all insisted that they were very cautious about strangers--until they saw themselves on telltale film.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.