Proxy
Measures
It's also
worth exploring the possibility of using statistics other
than for the fear of crime to measure whether there is an
impact on the liveability of an area. This comes back to
the notion that crime isn't the only issue that can affect
quality of life, and consequently the fear of crime.
Research has
suggested that fear is not the only reaction to crime,
poor health, anger
and
psychological damage are also common. BCS data has found
that those in (self-classified) poor health are more
worried about crime than those who are healthier.
Consequently,
health statistics could be a useful proxy measurement.
Mortality rates and injuries from violent crime are an
obvious way of measuring the type and frequency of those
crimes in a particular area, but health statistics can
also be broken down to surgery catchment areas or even
individual streets, all helping to provide more pieces of
the puzzle.
For more
information on health statistics, check out the Department
of Health’s
website: The
report on Social Capital and Health, by Catharine
Campbell, Rachel Woods and Moira Kelly also contains
some relevant information:
Keeping with
the theme, the Office
for National Statistics
can provide a wealth of useful demographic information
about a specific neighbourhood, helping partnerships to
establish the age, ethnicity, gender, health and wealth of
their ward or local authority area. Click on
www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/default.asp
for the latest information from the Census 2001.
It can be
useful to know the extent that social facilities and
public transport is being used at nightime. See the Department
for Transport
website for more details on the relevant research.
The number of
voluntary groups in an area can also provide some
indication of social cohesion and participation. Community
Service Volunteers is a good place to start: www.csv.org.uk
Finally, the Department
for Education and Skills
website can provide information on how well schools in an
area are doing and give some indication of the levels of
truancy. Click on: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/
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