In the middle of March 1998 the
third International Crime Victimisation Survey (ICVS) was quietly
published. Its findings were quite shocking, it revealed that the highest
incidence of violent crime in the industrialised world was in England and
Wales. The Home Office submission to the Cullen enquiry was based upon
the previous ICVS but the publication of this report received little
attention.
Now that its mid October
it appears the British media has finally woken up and smelt the coffee, several
national papers and major TV networks have covered the story following the
publication of a
US
Department of Justice report. The report, echoing the ICVS, shows
that you are more likely to be mugged in England and Wales than in the US.
Many American cities are now safer than they were 10 years ago, in Britain
inner city crime continues to rise. The report also reveals that the
criminal justice system in Britain is much worse at detecting and prosecuting
criminals than its US counterpart.
Patrick Langan, a senior statistician with the US Department of Justice, commented:
"With most people, the perception is that crime rates are much higher in the United States. In fact, rates are now higher in England for most types of major crime. The robbery rate in England and Wales, including muggings, is 40% higher. The assault, burglary and automobile threat rates are getting on for double those in the US."
David Farrington, a criminologist at Cambridge University who helped compile the report, also noted:
"The picture has changed dramatically in the past 15 years. Then, America had much higher rates of these serious crimes, whereas now England is much higher."
And a senior spokeswoman for the Home Office played down the findings:
"We have been aware of the comparisons for a while." ..."We believe the study is limited because it compares only two sets of figures."
It is surprising that the Home Office would choose to make that particular criticism, their submission to the Dunblane enquiry compared the homicide rate between the US and the UK, a comparison of only two sets of figures. I suppose it would be too much to expect a straight and consistent story.
Despite the reports shocking findings the papers cannot stop themselves from making a link between gun ownership and violent crime. Nicholas Rufford comments in the Sunday Times:
"Rape and murder rates are still higher in the United States - where gun ownership is prevalent - but the gap is narrowing."
Similarly, Shenai Raif of PA News comments:
"The less common crimes of murder and rape are higher in America where guns are more prevalent, but the gap is narrowing."
It is astounding that two obviously intelligent professional journalists cannot see the fallacy of their remarks. Yes, gun ownership is more prevalent in the US but the UK has the most restrictive gun laws in the world and the gap is still narrowing. Despite the widespread gun ownership in the US violent crime is falling, in the UK despite the latest gun laws it is increasing. Even now the media cannot even bear to contemplate that legal gun ownership is not the root cause of the US crime problem.
Hidden in the news reports are a few clues as to possible causes of this trend, in the US crime rates have fallen during a period in which sentencing for crime has been especially harsh. US offenders will on average will spend 3 years longer in jail for murder than their British counterpart; four years longer for rape and robbery. In the UK the Home Office has recently proposed to send fewer people to jail and to expand the use of non custodial sentences. The reports authors criticise the Home Office for the expanded use of police cautions and the number of occasions where the Crown Prosecution Service (colloquially known as the Criminal Protection Society) decline to prosecute.
The Home Office minister Alun Michael is reported as saying to the Sunday Times:
"We are determined to learn the right lessons from the report and reverse this trend."
But another source is already quoted as saying:
"The report is a graphic illustration of the Tories' failure on law and order. Not only has crime increased dramatically, but fewer and fewer criminals were brought to book."
A cynic like myself would venture to suggest that the only action likely to result from this shocking news is a political mud slinging match. I suppose it is too much to expect that our elected representatives got on with the business of government rather than furthering their own political careers.