Law-abiding citizens turn to crime during recession

Published on Tuesday 2 November 2010 16:49

HOUSEBREAKING and thefts are rising in Scotland as people hardest hit by the recession turn to crime, a nationwide survey has revealed.

The survey of 16,000 Scots by the Scottish Government found 13 per cent more homes broken into and 19 per cent more people reporting that valuables had been stolen from them. This bucked the broader trend of a 10 per cent fall, with 945,000 crimes carried out Scotland-wide compared with 1,040,000 the year before.

Solicitors say they have seen an increase in housebreaking and theft cases going through the courts and believe the economic downturn is to blame.

Peter Lockhart, a member of the Law Society of Scotland's criminal law committee who practises in Ayr, said: "I've been in practice for over 30 years and during the 1980s housebreaking and theft were particularly prevalent. I think most criminal practitioners have noticed this type of crime cropping back up.

"It's something we've seen increasing over the last couple of years, whether that's directly related to the recession - I suspect it is.

"Clearly, some is down to drugs and alcohol abuse, but there are also people who are recently unemployed, or who have recently found themselves on benefits. We have come out of a period of national wealth and, prior to the recession, lifestyles improved, personal incomes went up, and now for some that's all gone.

"People have found themselves homeless, on benefits and it's such a fall from grace - much higher than it was 20 years ago. That's undoubtedly led to people who have led blameless lives to resort to criminal activity."

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Susan McVie, professor of quantitative criminology at Edinburgh University's School of Law, predicted the effects could be short-lived. She said: "There's evidence to suggest that during times of economic hardship, which hits the poorest hardest, you do get an increase in economic crime.

"People have done research on this from previous economic downturns and there's not a direct relationship; it's not as if as the economy gets worse and worse, you get more and more - rather there's a plateau.

"It's not unusual to hear of an increase at the beginning of an economic cycle, but then people become more aware of having burglary alarms and making sure they use them. A lot of housebreaking can be very straightforward - such as someone taking a handbag off the table and then leaving again - and so can be prevented."

Robert Brown, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman, said: "It is worrying that crimes of dishonesty, like burglary and fraud are on the rise.Housebreaking alone is up 13 per cent since last year. In desperate times people will turn to desperate measures, but police forces must clamp down on these offenders and make it crystal clear that there is never an excuse for this type of crime."

The survey also found that 56 per cent of respondents wanted to see more police on the streets, despite the Scottish Government investing in 1,000 more front-line officers, an increase which will come under threat because of upcoming budget pressures. However, satisfaction with police performance was up across the board, with confidence in community officers almost doubling.

Crime is generally perceived as being lower in Scotland, when compared to a similar survey carried out in England and Wales, with the exception of vandalism and assault - assault, in particular, was almost 50 per cent higher. Despite this only 39 per cent of victims of violent crime reported it to the police, with many saying they either chose to deal with it themselves, or that it was so common it did not seem worth reporting.

Drug dealing and drug abuse were the crimes people felt hit their communities hardest, while credit card fraud and identity theft were among the crimes they felt most vulnerable to in the year ahead.

Justice secretary Kenny Mac-Askill said: "These are welcome trends which show that we are making progress in our fight against crime in Scotland's communities. Recorded crime in Scotland is at its lowest level in 32 years, there is an all-time record number of police officers - over 1,000 extra since March 2007 - on Scotland's streets.

"Today's survey shows Scots are also feeling safer in their communities. What we are seeing is a downward trajectory right across the board: crime is down; risk of being a victim is down; communities are becoming safer and Scots are feeling more positive as a result."

Scottish Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said: "The number of people who fear drug dealing or mugging is taking place in their community has risen for the first time in five years. With the SNP's 'here today gone tomorrow' police pledge, it's likely that even fewer people will bother reporting crime in the future. The survey made clear that two-thirds of people believed local police presence was not sufficient in their area."

Tory MSP and justice committee convener Bill Aitken added: "A drop in crime is encouraging, even if only 37 per of crimes are reported at all, but what we must not forget is that Scottish Conservative pressure for 1,000 more police is hugely influential here.

"Whatever restructuring our police boards face, and whatever changes have to be made to combat Labour's legacy of debt, it is vital we keep as many police officers on the streets as possible."Chief Constable Stephen House, Acpos lead on crime, said: "Today's report demonstrates clear progress in tackling crime in Scotland. The survey indicates that overall crime has decreased by 10 per compared to the previous year and the risk of becoming a victim of crime also decreased. The survey also shows an increase in public confidence and greater satisfaction in the way in which we are addressing crime at a local level. These are pleasing results. We will work hard to maintain this progress amidst the challenging financial times that we are now in."