Jon Bannister: Better information the key to peace of mind

WHEN it comes to fear of crime, there is a mismatch between perception and reality. So the question is: why does that mismatch occur?

On the one hand you’ve got strategies to confront the problems of crime itself, but that does not mean those strategies will also deliver a reduction in people’s perceptions.

You can argue we’re winning the battle to confront crime and disorder, but not winning to the extent that we would like, because of that mismatch.

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The truth is that most people simply do not know what the true extent of crime is. What we would argue for is better public information strategies and more positive media messages.

There’s evidence to suggest that media coverage of crime heightens people’s fears, and does not reflect the scale and distribution of crime. The media informs them about the goriest crime or the costliest crime, and that fuels that misconception.

Effectively, what we see is that there are two processes that inform people’s perceptions.

The first is that people’s observation, such as teenagers hanging around, is a shorthand for levels of disorder in an area.

Secondly, people’s perceptions are tied to their anxieties over the state of society in general, the quality of the neighbourhoods they live in and their own capacity to confront crime.

So, a little old lady would be more afraid of physical assault because she would be less capable of confronting it. Or, if you are unemployed, your fear of crime will be higher than if you are employed, because if you are unemployed you are in less of a position to replace anything that is damaged.

The more we know about the people who live in our communities, the easier it becomes for us to tell whether they pose a risk or not.

People don’t know what’s going on in their neighbourhoods because we live separate lives, and we are more likely to judge what we don’t know as a risk.

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In crime surveys, people’s perception of their local area is always better than the national picture. That is because in their local areas they have a clearer idea of what is going on. For the national picture they rely more heavily on the media.

This connection to what is going on in our neighbourhoods – who may be a threat to you and who may be succour to you if you need help – is absolutely crucial.

If we are saying is that a lack of connection is part of the problem, then connection must be part of the solution. That means better information, from the government, the police and the media.

•  Jon Bannister is a network leader in communities and crime for the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research.

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