Communicating Crime Reduction

Considering fear of crime

Tackling fear of crime

The British Crime Survey shows that well over a third of the population feel that fear of crime and anti-social behaviour have a negative impact on the day to day quality of their life.

Although fear of crime has fallen over recent years, the fall has been much slower than falls in actual crime. This suggest that, in general terms, fear of crime is out of proportion to the real prospects of being a victim.

Tackling fear is about reducing the proportion of the population whose lives are adversely affected by the fear that they will become the victim of a personal crime and the trauma that will bring.

Reducing fear is a complex task that defies simplistic solutions. It relies on the interplay of many factors  - not least actual crime levels, the state of the physical environment, community support, visible action by the authorities, the vulnerability of the individual, and media messages.

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships should include fear of crime in their crime audits, though it is clear that this is not always given a high priority. There are also clear disparities between the level of commitment CDRPs have shown in tackling fear of crime.

statistical context

communication context

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