Public worries

Published on 02/11/2010 16:50

Reluctance to report offences FEWER people are prepared to report offences, despite there being more police on the streets and less crime overall for them to tackle.

The amount of crime reported fell from 38 per cent in 2008-9, to 37 per cent last year.

Authors of surveys, such as the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS), say their figures give a more accurate impression of the actual picture, because police's own figures suffer from under-reporting.

Police have failed to improve detection rates - with 49 per cent solved in 2009-10, the same as the previous year, according to their own figures - despite the increase in resources.

According to the SCJS, the most common reason for someone not to report a crime was because they considered it too trivial, or that they felt it would be a waste of time or money.

In 14 per cent of cases, the victim said the offenders were children and, therefore, too young to face the police.

However, when it came to violent crime, more common reasons were that they wanted to deal with it themselves, or that it was just something that happened and they were used to it.

Identity theft

PEOPLE are becoming increasingly concerned about computer-based crime such as bank fraud or identity theft, according to the survey.

When asked what crime they thought most likely to happen to them in 2009-10, the most common answer (17 per cent) was that people would use their bank or credit cards to steal money or goods.

The third most common, from 12 per cent, was identity theft, just behind vandalism of their car. However, experts believe fear of hi-tech crime is not reflective of the reality.

Susan McVie, professor of quantitative criminology at Edinburgh University's school of law, said: "People are much more afraid of this than they are likely to become a victim.

"A very tiny proportion of people report being victims of credit card fraud. People are concerned because it is increasing and will have high economic consequences. However, in reality, the vast majority of people are very safe. If it is increasing, it is in a small way - people are much more likely to become victims of other types of crime."

Other fears included housebreaking and assault.

Antisocial habits

DRUG dealing and drug abuse is the crime people feel is most common in their neighbourhoods.

Of the 16,000 surveyed, 20 per cent felt drug abuse was very common, while 28 per cent said it was very common - almost half of all those questioned.

Four in ten said they got this impression from the local media, rather than seeing it themselves. However, a similar amount said they had seen it happen, while one in five said they were talking about someone they knew.

The true figure could be higher still as people were able to fill in a section on their own drug taking, which is being collated separately and will be published next year.

Other concerns included antisocial behaviour, vandalism of properties and cars, violence among gangs and people carrying knives.

More than a third said they now avoided certain areas, while almost as many said they stopped going out at nights, or made sure they were in a group.