Is crime going to increase as a result of the current economic uncertainty? Police in Londonderry think so:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/7645663.stm

According to the British Crime Survey crime peaked in about 1995 (after the height of the previous recession in 1992) and has more than halved since then.

Comments please!

The evidence quoted is rather on the thin side, is it not?

It's an obvious link to make that property related crime will increase during periods of unemploymen. And although inconsistent, existing research suggests that the crime-rate especially for property offences was higher during periods of unemployment.

The sceptics among us would be wary of anything determined by surveys and statistics. Other factors are involved here and this question deserves more than a knee-jerk answer.

Nevertheless, it will be no bad thing if we were all to exercise more caution and greater vigilance as a result of this discussion.

I suppose insurance companies might have a vested interest, but nevertheless the Abbey reckons that crime increase around 34% during the last recession and will during the next....
www.financialadvice.co.uk/news/4/insuran...urglary-warning.html

The Met's flying squad says that the credit crunch also gives them more work.

"I would say we do know there is a traditional rise around Christmas time and I think it's likely that the credit crunch will have an impact on crime as well," said a spokesman.

Apparently security van robberies rose from 27 in September to 45 in October and 53 in November.

uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20081202/tuk-credit-...an-robb-dba1618.html