Report on factors which influence fear

of crime

By Zakia Sayed and Sumaiea Sadiqi

Fear of crime is when people fear that they might become a victim of a crime.

The British Crime Survey (BCS) indicates that 84% of the people in England and Wales think that the crime has risen nationally.

46% of the people say it has risen in their local area, both of the figures are about 10 percentage points higher than 2008.

According to the BCS’s crime figures show that the risk of being a victim of crime has fallen to 27 year low.

Home Office statisticians said the increase in people's fear of crime could be due to the changes in the way the survey had been conducted.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the media had a "role to play" in reporting crime, but people tended to think high-profile crimes were more prevalent then they actually were; when they were asked to explain the increase of crime.

Evidence that people fear crime

Looking at how people view crime, there is evidence of contradictory beliefs.

Many people see the crime rates as rising generally and overstate the risks, but when asked about crime in their area, they understate the problem even in areas of high crime rates.

Bottoms et al (1981) focused on the ‘red light area' of Sheffield, which has a very high crime rate for the city.

54% of the residents of this area who were interviewed felt that the crime rate was the same as the average for the city.

Females have higher levels of worry or fear of becoming a victim than the males have.

The 2000 British Crime Survey showed that the women were more worried than the men were about violent crime, with 25% of female respondents saying they were ‘very worried’ about being mugged or physically attacked by a stranger, and almost 3 in 10 of them were ‘very worried’ about being raped.

Black and Asian respondents were more worried about all types of crime than white respondents, with 41% of Asian and 37% of black respondents claiming they were ‘very worried’ about their home being burgled, compared to 18% of white respondents (Kershaw et al., 2000).

Crime Male Female Afraid to go out alone at night

11% 57%

Afraid of being mugged

39% 56%

Afraid of being attacked in their own homes

27% 55%

Afraid of using public transport at night

11% 35%

Afraid of some other form of attack

21% 27%

Difference between male and female fear of crime

Research throughout the world has shown that increase in crime is generally overrepresented in media coverage, compared to actual crime rates in society.

The media exaggerate the amount of violent crime and the risks of certain group becoming victims e.g. young women and elderly.

Elderly are less likely to be victims of crime however they have a higher fear of crime. They feel more in danger due to media.

Media effects on the fear of crime

Women fear sexual violent. media reporting of rapes scare women into staying at home and fear of attacks stops women from going out.

Women's confidence is also more likely to be affected as they may find it hard to be on their own because of the fear of being raped.

Studies show that men are more likely to be victims of crime than women, however women fear crime far more than men. This is due to media as it over exaggerates the risk of women victimization.

Audiences differ in terms of age, social class, IQ and level of education and so do not react in the same way to media content.

Most research support the view that media causes fear of crime and has negative effects on audience. For example, Schlesinger and Tumbler (1992) study suggested that those that watch TV for longer period shows a greater fear of going out at night and of becoming victims.

It is a social theory which look at the long- term effects of television. The theory was proposed by professor George Gerbner in 1960.

Gerbner believes that by the age of 6 a child world understanding is established by television.

Gerbner claimed that instead of churches and schools, Television is the new source of education for people. They suggested that on average people watches television more religiously than they attend church.

Television is responsible for our perception, because the more you watch TV the harsher perception you will have of the real world.

Cultivation theory fear of crime

Television portrays the world as more violent and dangerous than it really is.

The overuse of television creates a fearful environment because it changes our attitude and belief.

Studies have shown more than half of prime time television is violent.

People who see violence on TV believe that they are more likely to be a victim of crime in real life therefore they have higher fear of crime.

Our attitude is also influenced by other factors e.g. people, experience or knowledge.

Cultivation theory concludes that the violence shown on TV will affect peoples beliefs and feelings about the world rather than influence their action.

Availability heuristic theory

The theory was formed by psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman.

It is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to the mind. When you are trying to make a decision, a number of related events or situations might immediately spring to the forefront of your thoughts.

We make decisions based on how easy things come to mind rather when judging how common something is.

For example, after seeing several news reports about theft, you might make a judgment that theft is much more common than it really is in your area. This type of availability heuristic can be helpful and important in decision-making.

The term availability refers as a tendency to judge the probability of an event by the ease with which examples of that event can be retrieved from the memory or construction.

Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman suggested that the availability heuristic occurs unconsciously and operates under the principle that "if you can think of it, it must be important." Things that come to mind more easily are believed to be far more common and more accurate reflections of the real world.

An example of availability heuristic, after reading an article about lottery winners, you start to overestimate your own likelihood of winning the jackpot. Then you start spending more money than you should each week on lottery tickets.

Support available for victims of crime

National Offender Management Service (NOMS) victim helpline supports the victims when they receive unwanted letters, phone calls or text messages from the prisoner or  if they are worried about prisoner release from prison.

A victim could track the investigation of their case and communicate with the investigating officer through TrackMyCrime service.

Victims’ Information Service helps the victims on finding local support after a crime takes place. It brings information together on what will happen after reporting a crime, the people a victim might meet, the help a victim get and how to complain if something goes wrong.

There is a wide range of organisations available to support victims of crime.

Organisations to support victims

Victim support is an independent charity for victims and witnesses of crime in England and Wales. It provides a free and confidential service and advice for victims of crime that is independent from the police.

Crime stoppers charity is in the UK, which allows victims to call anonymously to pass on information crime. An anonymous online form could also filled therefore the victim name and personal information is not required. Rape crisis provides raises awareness of

sexual violence and campaign for change by supporting and providing specialised counselling for women and girls who have experienced sexual violence.

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