Near one in five, 19 percent, of adults thought it was either “very” or “fairly likely” that they would be a victim of crime within the next 12 months, according to the official Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).
Around six in ten adults (61pc) perceived crime in the country as a whole to have risen over the past few years. Fewer people, however, perceived that crime had risen in their local area (32pc). News programmes on TV and radio were most often cited as a source of information that had influenced perceptions of national crime levels (cited by 67pc of people). In contrast, word of mouth was most often cited as a source influencing impressions of local crime rates (cited by 54pc).
In line with previous surveys, those who had been a victim of crime in the last year were more likely to: consider both local and national crime rates to have risen over the last few years; have a high level of worry about crime; and to think it likely they would suffer victimisation in the year ahead, than non-victims. Those who were victims of crime in the previous 12 months reported significantly lower personal well-being than non-victims for measures relating to “life satisfaction”, “life worthwhile”, and “happiness yesterday”. There was no significant difference for “anxious yesterday”.
The proportion of adults who gave the local police a positive rating (said they did a good or excellent job) was 63 per cent in 2013/14. This represents a small increase from the 2012/13 figure (61pc) and is similar to the 2011/12 figure (62pc). While not directly comparable, say the statisticians, prior to this, the proportion of adults who gave the local police a positive rating increased from 47pc in 2003/04 to 59pc in 2010/11.
The proportion of adults who reported seeing police officers or police community support officers (PCSOs) on foot patrol in their local area about once a week or more (high police visibility) was 32pc in 2013/14. This continues the downward trend seen since 2010/11 when the reported level of high police visibility was at its peak (39pc). Prior to 2010/11, the proportion of adults reporting high visibility rose from 26pc in 2006/07.
For more details visit the ONS website (Office for National Statistics).
Pictured: A rooftop level piece of graffiti in Brighton city centre.
