NCJ Number
119017
Date Published
1988
Length
54 pages
Annotation
A survey of Asian-run small retail stores in London was conducted in 1986 to evaluate crime and racially offensive behavior.
Abstract
Nearly two-thirds of the shopkeepers expressed some degree of worry about the risk of crime, and about 80 percent said they had experienced a crime such as theft or window smashing. The extent to which victims thought crimes were racially motivated did not seem strongly related to particular shop characteristics, although threats, window smashing, and verbal abuse were more often racially attributed by people whose shops were comparatively isolated and did not open early. Only about 8 percent of the shopkeepers said they had been victims of racial harassment over the past 12 months. About 60 percent said they always or quite often reported crime to the police. Most said they were insured against criminal activity, and most indicated they had not received advice on crime prevention from anyone. Measures the shopkeepers took to prevent crime seemed to be generally in line with the risks they faced. Recommendations to prevent crime against Asian and other minority shopkeepers are offered. Appendixes contain supplemental survey results and the questionnaire. 16 references, 13 tables.