Communicating Crime Reduction

Considering fear of crime

Communication context

There is a clear correlation between falling crime levels and falling levels of fear of crime. This suggests that fear of crime is related to people’s perceived or actual experience of crime in their community. This in turn indicates that the best way to reduce fear of crime is to continue to reduce actual crime levels and reduce the individual’s level of exposure to crime.  

Misperception is particularly true of violent and sexual crime where the probability of victimisation is relatively low but the imagined impact is very serious – resulting in fear of crime levels significantly in excess of actual crime. 

There are specific things communicators can do to help people feel more secure, by improving their knowledge and understanding of the risk of victimisation, and how best to mitigate that risk. This includes passing on crime prevention advice in a way that engenders a sense of greater security – rather than relying on heightening fear as a driver to action. 

It also includes measures to ensure that people are made aware of the action being taken to make their communities safer. There is evidence to show that fear generated by the national crime picture can be mitigated by evidence of greater security in the local community. 

It is also clear that people perceive crime levels to be a higher than they actually are – most think crime has been rising over recent years when in fact there have been significant falls. Communicators should  look to improve the way information about crime is presented.

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