Tough on crime, tough on the causes of fear of crime

02
09
07

Tough on crime, tough on the causes of fear of crime

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This idea of David Cameron's that we're living in "Broken Britain" and of the Sun that we are witnessing "Anarchy in the UK" has been eating at me a bit. And with Dave's essay in the Telegraph outlining his ideas for mending his broken Britain by branding ten year old boys as failures and keeping them down a year at school got me looking out crime statistics.

I suspect this might not be what Dave had in mind (no, really!), but one thing sticks out in the British Crime Survey attitudes to crime, and in particular fear of crime. That the better educated you are, the better the newspaper you read, the more you earn, the less likely you are to fear crime, and the more accurate a perspective you're going to have as to the real levels of crime and anti-social behaviour going on in Britain.

Another interesting thing is that when people are asked about their perceptions of levels of crime throughout the country compared with in their local area, all groups are about half as likely to perceive crime as a growing problem in their local area, where they have on the ground experience, compared with nationwide.

So, what can we conclude, if anything, from that? Clearly, where people rely on the national media, and particularly the tabloid newspapers, for news of what's going on around the country, they get the impression that there's a lot more crime going on "somewhere else" compared with what they see and hear about in their local area. Are they just wearing rose-tinted spectacles when it comes to their own area? Maybe - local pride and disbelief that "such a thing could happen here" might be very influential. But more likely we are being manipulated by the media for whom crime, and particularly the nastiest most vicious sort of crime, sells newspapers.

So yes, a better educated nation will be less fearful of crime because they won't have to rely so much on sensationalist news reporting to form their opinions. Better still would be if our politicians stopped pandering to this tabloid agenda and feeding their appetite for fear-mongering with populist speeches and snappy but misleading headlines.

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Comments

Submitted by Richard Gadsden (not verified) on September 2, 2007 - 17:39.

Which is that when people are asked about crime "around the country" they take that as meaning "in the worst parts of the country" - and it's no surprise that the worst parts of the country have more crime than the average! For example, many people in my area will look at the gun crime in South Manchester (Moss Side and Longsight area) and express their concerns about that when asked about the country as a whole

Submitted by paulus (not verified) on September 2, 2007 - 17:59.

You were kind enough to put a very flattering note on my blog post about Rhys Jones's sad death. I hope you have received my e-mail thanking you. I put it on your main web site. I don't know if you have seen an earlier post of mine about the way in which the press and politicians whip up hysteria. It is relevant to what you say here and it may be of interest: http://www.thinkhard.org/2007/08/the-terrorist-a.html As I read more of your blog I find myself agreeing with much you have to say.

Submitted by Jock on September 2, 2007 - 19:43.

...actually I didn't receive a message from you - am I right in assuminng you mean you sent it using my "contact form"? If so I've worked out why, and now am left wondering how many more messages I've missed - it was being sent to a non-existent e-mail address which has now been rectified. I just had a look at the article on media and terrorist hype, which is far better written - more considered and better researched - than anything I write! But it makes absolute sense to me.

Submitted by Jock on September 2, 2007 - 20:04.

...maybe. I suspect there's something in that. But that's just it isn't it, just how do people gain a perception of what is happening in those "worst places" other than through the media coverage. I know here in Oxford people do down the likes of Blackbird Leys, and feel justified in doing so when they see the odd, very odd, violent incident reported there, reported in the local press. But I doubt in reality there's any more crime per head there than elsewhere in the city. It doesn't stop people talking as if Blackbird Leys is a hell on earth!

Submitted by paulus (not verified) on September 3, 2007 - 08:49.

I have resent my email through your "contact form". If you still don't receive it try emailing me. There is a link on my profile on my blog. Good luck Paul