NCJ Number
87688
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Differences in the crime rates in different residential areas in one British city do not result from variations in policing policies.
Abstract
The study included crimes committed in sample months in 1966 in four types of residential neighborhoods in Sheffield, England: owner-occupied housing, privately rented accommodations, prewar public housing, and postwar public housing consisting of high-rise apartments. The study data also included the numbers of offenders from each type of neighborhood. The offender and residential offense rates were closely related. The owner-occupied area had the lowest residential offense rate, while the public housing and the private rental housing had the highest residential offense rates. Data from 1975 produced similar results, although types of crime varied somewhat according to the type of area. In all of the areas, only a small proportion of the crime was discovered by the police. In addition, police patrol patterns did not vary greatly between areas, and police had vague perceptions of area crime rates. Although adult males in areas with low offender rates were more likely to receive official cautions than were adult males in other areas, the offender's age, record, and type of offense was more closely related to the decision to prosecute or caution than was the area of residence. Police activities in nonresidential areas or in areas where police are encouraged to arrest on suspicion might produce different geographic variations. Tables are provided. A bibliography listing 380 sources is provided at the end of the volume containing this paper.