NCJ Number
125415
Date Published
1989
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This report of the British Working Group on the Fear of Crime presents findings and recommendations on how to reduce the fear of crime in Great Britain.
Abstract
Findings and recommendations were derived from inquiries made from appropriate agencies, academics, and media representatives. Research data on crime prevention were reviewed, and data from the British Crime Survey were examined. The working group traveled extensively in England and Wales to obtain public reactions regarding fear of crime. The report's findings and recommendations are presented under four headings: the harmonization of crime prevention and fear reduction, the media, the police, and the environmental or community dimension. Since intensive crime-prevention campaigns can also increase the fear of crime among the public, the report recommends that efforts to reduce the fear of crime receive as much effort as crime prevention. The group concluded that the media's sensational, incomplete, and unbalanced reporting of crime can needlessly increase the public's fear of crime. Without recommending censorship, the working group proposes that the regulatory and advisory bodies that act as "watchdogs" over the media provide guidelines on the coverage and reporting of crime. Other recommendations pertaining to the media are designed to guide the media in presenting a more comprehensive and insightful coverage of crime. Regarding police efforts to reduce crime, the report recommends community policing that increases police contact with the public. The working group proposes that the quality of the urban environment be improved as a means of increasing residents' sense of safety when on the streets. 47 references.