NCJ Number
125210
Date Published
1990
Length
56 pages
Annotation
This report on the Edinburgh Crime Survey (Scotland), commissioned in June 1989 by the Scottish Home and Health Department, presents data on attitudes toward and perceptions of crime as a problem for residents in central Edinburgh, the extent and nature of criminal victimization and its distribution in the community, the extent of fear of crime and its impact on the lives of particular groups, and the extent and nature of crime within the city center.
Abstract
Findings are based on face-to-face interviews by questionnaire in 1,912 households in four areas within central Edinburgh and in two outlying areas. One chapter examines the findings of the survey relating to the general social problems. Included under the head of "social problems" are, for example, problems with local authority services, environmental and health concerns, as well as problems with crime, vandalism, and public disorder. Particular attention is given to public attitudes toward problems associated with licensing hours and drink-related crime and disorder. A section presents the findings of the survey on the volume and distribution of household and personal crime in the different wards and in the central area. It also examines the level of unreported crime and the reasons why certain types of crime are not reported to the police. The section on fear of crime examines the anxieties occasioned by different types of crime, both locally and in the city center. The impact of fear of crime upon the lifestyles of various sections of the community, particularly upon women and the elderly, is addressed. Particular problems associated with city center crime are examined, including the level and concentration of crime and related problems of fear of crime. Data are analyzed in terms of age and gender and the various patterns of use during the day and night. Appended questionnaire, maps, problems table, and 28-item bibliography.