Crime rates now, compared to past generations.

Pyramid*Pyramid* Posts: 4,569
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Few threads have got me thinking.

It seems now that there is more 'general on the street crime'. Meaning, violence, theft, burglary, drugs, drug related crimes, cars being stolen, broken in to, yard equipment being stolen, garden shed being ransacked.

Why is this? Is it because there is too much 'low level' crime for police to investigate, they maybe don't have the resources, do the police not have the manning levels, paperwork and red tape taking too much police time instead of being out on the beat, do they lack the same powers as before, don't put the same 'fear' into people, that punishments are too lax so the 'time doesnt fit the crime', prisons too full?

I've maybe answered my own question in a way but I'm wondering what other Dser's thoughts are?
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  • rjb101rjb101 Posts: 2,689
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    Well, I'd say there's less crime now than 20 years ago, but the amount of money thrown at the police force you would expect it.

    What we do have now is gang violence, which the police have singularly failed to deal with, and general loutish and sometimes threatening behavior on the streets, though I may notice that more because I'm now 20 years older :(
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,341
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    M BIL is a DI in the Met and he says that gang violence is by far the fastest growing crime in the Uk (especially in the inner Cities).

    There is just as much, possibly more, low level crime and public order offences now but many of these are considered too low level to deal with by the powers that be. Either that or they are now considered council and not police matters.
    Years ago, if your neighbours played loud music at 3am, the police would be round to stop them. Nowdays they're so bogged down in red tape and paperwork that these matters are just reported to the council who may send a letter six weeks later.
  • Pyramid*Pyramid* Posts: 4,569
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    rjb101 wrote: »
    Well, I'd say there's less crime now than 20 years ago, but the amount of money thrown at the police force you would expect it.

    What we do have now is gang violence, which the police have singularly failed to deal with, and general loutish and sometimes threatening behavior on the streets, though I may notice that more because I'm now 20 years older :(

    Prisons are bursting to capacity now but now I've just typed that, something 'sparked' in my mind about prisons being overcrowded a generation or two ago which doesn't happen as much now, you've given me something else to think about!

    You're on the nose with the general thuggery and loutish thing, that's more what I meant.
  • bunnydsbunnyds Posts: 3,584
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    The rise in crimes such as robbery, gang-rape and knife and gun crime is in line with the "quality" of the immigrants that have found their way here over the past couple of decades.
  • The 12th DoctorThe 12th Doctor Posts: 4,338
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    People like to question the figures because they prefer to believe their own judgements. Problem is that people's judgements are usually informed by the media which picks out crime - especially violent crime - and makes a sensationalist meal out of it. So people assume that actually, we're under siege from a tidal wave of violent thuggery, when in reality...we're far from it.

    And comparing the crime rates of today and yesteryear is pointless since so many variables - mainly, population and urbanization - mean that latter years' crime rates should always be higher. If they are in fact lower than say, 50 years ago, then The Sun may as well stop trading :D !
  • The SnakesThe Snakes Posts: 8,940
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    Crime is higher now than it ever has been. In 10 years it will be higher still.
  • The 12th DoctorThe 12th Doctor Posts: 4,338
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    People like to question the figures because they prefer to believe their own judgements. Problem is that people's judgements are usually informed by the media which picks out crime - especially violent crime - and makes a sensationalist meal out of it. So people assume that actually, we're under siege from a tidal wave of violent thuggery, when in reality...we're far from it.

    And comparing the crime rates of today and yesteryear is pointless since so many variables - mainly, population and urbanization - mean that latter years' crime rates should always be higher. If they are in fact lower than say, 50 years ago, then The Sun may as well stop trading :D !

    Just like this \/
    The Snakes wrote: »
    Crime is higher now than it ever has been. In 10 years it will be higher still.

    Thanks for providing an example of this, Snakes!
  • stoatiestoatie Posts: 78,106
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    The amount of crime hasn't risen- the amount of NEWS has.
  • InkblotInkblot Posts: 26,889
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    The British Crime Survey has revealed that UK crime rates within the last year fell to their lowest since 1981. [16 July 2010]

    The British Crime Survey (BCS) revealed that the number of offences dropped by 9% over the 2009/10 period. This translates to a decrease from 10.5 million offences to 9.6 million. According to the report this is the lowest level of crime in the UK since 1981.

    Over 2009/10 there were 7,995 firearm offences. This is a decrease of 3% from last year's figures.

    The report also revealed that police recorded 615 murders during this period. This figure shows a drop by 6% on the previous year.
    - Crimestoppers
  • The SnakesThe Snakes Posts: 8,940
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    stoatie wrote: »
    The amount of crime hasn't risen- the amount of NEWS has.
    No, the amount of crime has. News can only report crimes that actually happen. Instead of moaning about news coverage, why don't the authorities concentrate on actually fighting crime, or allowing the police to do so without ridiculous amounts of bureaucracy?
  • The 12th DoctorThe 12th Doctor Posts: 4,338
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    The Snakes wrote: »
    No, the amount of crime has. News can only report crimes that actually happen. Instead of moaning about news coverage, why don't the authorities concentrate on actually fighting crime, or allowing the police to do so without ridiculous amounts of bureaucracy?

    Do you even live in the real world? I cannot believe someone can be so blinkered.
  • Pyramid*Pyramid* Posts: 4,569
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    stoatie wrote: »
    The amount of crime hasn't risen- the amount of NEWS has.

    Good point, news coverage was something I hadn't even given a thought to. Of course it will have a big impact on the public perception and muddy the waters.
    Inkblot wrote: »
    The British Crime Survey has revealed that UK crime rates within the last year fell to their lowest since 1981. [16 July 2010]

    The British Crime Survey (BCS) revealed that the number of offences dropped by 9% over the 2009/10 period. This translates to a decrease from 10.5 million offences to 9.6 million. According to the report this is the lowest level of crime in the UK since 1981.

    Over 2009/10 there were 7,995 firearm offences. This is a decrease of 3% from last year's figures.

    The report also revealed that police recorded 615 murders during this period. This figure shows a drop by 6% on the previous year. - Crimestoppers

    thanks for putting this up, interesting info. In line with the amount of media coverage, if the figures are true here, it must be bloody demoralising for the Police that it can seem things are getting worse to 'joe public', when it look like they actually aren't.
  • bunnydsbunnyds Posts: 3,584
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    But some categories of violent crime, wounding, violence without injury and mugging, showed minor increases.

    Shame about that seeing as those are the crimes that most of us are worried about...
  • bohoboybohoboy Posts: 816
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    The statistics do only show reported/investigated crime though, I imagine most people know someone who has been a victim of crime who hasn't either reported it or tried to report it without success.
  • PencilPencil Posts: 5,700
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    You could never properly measure crime rates.

    The recorder changes as much as the recordings.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 204
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    The police seem too pre-occupied to deal with "low-level crimes" these days. And now the Government are thinking of slashing their numbers by 60,000, plus drastically reducing the number of people in prison.

    Political opinions aside, something is seriously wrong with these decisions. The outlook is gonna be a whole lot rosier for criminals, to the detriment of people that respect and abide by the law, and actually contribute towards society and the judicial system that is there to protect them.
  • wsmansemwsmansem Posts: 1,977
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    bohoboy wrote: »
    The statistics do only show reported/investigated crime though, I imagine most people know someone who has been a victim of crime who hasn't either reported it or tried to report it without success.

    I would imagine that whilst reported crime may be down .... ACTUAL crime is probably on the increase .

    There is simply no point in reporting minor crimes anyway !!!
  • Pyramid*Pyramid* Posts: 4,569
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    wsmansem wrote: »
    I would imagine that whilst reported crime may be down .... ACTUAL crime is probably on the increase .

    There is simply no point in reporting minor crimes anyway !!!

    I gave a perfect example of this on a similar thread today. i believe you to be right.
  • AneechikAneechik Posts: 20,208
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    Another thing the official figures and the BCS miss out on, is that there are certain areas which have high crime and rising, but when averaged with the low crime areas which have seen falling crime, give a distorted picture of falling overall crime, when for some the opposite is true.
  • TheEricPollardTheEricPollard Posts: 11,582
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    we probably have less crime than the vikings. They were always out raping and pillaging.
  • wsmansemwsmansem Posts: 1,977
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    Years ago we hardly ever heard a police siren nowadays we hear them 2 or 3 times a day and that's before 12 noon !!

    Considering that many petty crimes aren't even reported and even reported crimes aren't acted upon , hte massive increase in sirens may just suggest a massive increase in serious or fairly serous crime ! ?
  • bunnydsbunnyds Posts: 3,584
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    we probably have less crime than the vikings. They were always out raping and pillaging.

    The Vikings nowadays have to put up with barbaric invaders raping their women :mad: .
  • TombstoneTombstone Posts: 2,578
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    Having been brought up in Newquay in the 70's and having visited it a few times since, I can tell you that it was far less threatening and violent at the height of the 'skinhead'greebos' wars than it is now.

    Crime is down because the tolerance of bad behaviour is far more than it was in my day. If I told a copper to 'fcuk off', I was quite rightly stoved in and then told to go away. If I didn't get the message and carried on I would be charged and jailed for a night.

    It is not crime that is down, it is the recognition of them, because it is too much hassle to record them.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 29
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    i'm not convinced by those bemoaning the state of britain today with their "broken britain" nonsense. there was plenty of warfare between gangs in past generations. mods and rockers once fought huge battles with chains, knives and guns. paedophile uncles/vicars were quietly ignored by local communities, policemen happily joined the bigots who attacked homosexuals and blacks, and serial killers carried out their gruesome crimes with far greater ease.

    people might have felt safer, but the system was far less transparent and fewer people were ever caught. the media quietly collaborated with the government to keep the public calm instead of the shrieking, sensationalist headlines of today.

    i often wonder how david cameron will fix "broken britain" when he seems so committed to slashing police budgets, cutting benefits and reducing social care funding. all of this can only increase crime rates.
  • LycallesLycalles Posts: 463
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    We're living in a stupid country, I was watching Sunday Morning Live today (how the hell can someone have sympathy for a murderer?).

    Alot of crime is being committed these days and people are getting away with it because we haven't got any real punishments. Murders, rapists, paedophiles are let off and given ridiculously short sentences and some of them go back out and commit the crime again, and sometimes again and again and our system is allowing them.
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