'The New York Times' asked for examples of petty crime in London and Londoners responded hilariously

There’s one very simple rule of social media and the Internet: if you ask the public to take part in something serious, they will 1000% take the piss.

We’re looking at you, Boaty McBoatface.

And The New York Times has become the latest victim of this sort of social media japery, after they asked their Twitter followers to tell them about instances of petty crime in London.

“A surge in violent crime in London has exacerbated a decade of service cuts under the government’s austerity drive, leaving the city’s Metropolitan Police severely stretched and unable to pursue most suspects involved in minor property crimes,” a reporter for the publication said earnestly. “If you live in London and have had issues with the police’s response to petty crime, I would like to hear about your experience.”

The replies are, basically, gold. 

Enjoy! 

(Image: Getty)