Type I and Type II Errors in Law Enforcement

A typical standard of proof in criminal trials is "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt". This standard is accepted because we would rather make type II errors (allowing a guilty person to go free) than make type I errors (convict someone who is innocent).

The English do not extend this concern for minimizing type I errors to mopeds, however.

English police blow up parked scooter

The fear of terrorism has reached the English city of Ipswich.

Heidi Brown says she was told she could park her new motor scooter outside the vehicle registration office in Ipswich, while she waited to get number plates. However, it was blown up by the army in a controlled explosion after someone reported it might have been a bomb.

Police say the moped was chained to a fence outside the building, but officers were not able to identify whose it was because there were no number plates on it.

The 22-year-old care worker appeared soon after the blast with her new plates but too late to identify her vehicle.

Thanks to BrianF, who wonders just how long it takes to get a moped license plate in Ipswich