Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
Why did the Government introduce the Street Crime Initiative?
In what percentage of robberies are mobile phones stolen?
What's the difference between snatch theft and robbery?
What is the Metropolitan Police doing to reduce crime in the capital?
Is there a problem with the under-reporting of robbery as a crime?
Why did the Government introduce the Street Crime Initiative?
The Government is determined to act to cut street crime and to make the streets safer. That means key roles not only for the police, Crown Prosecution Service, and the courts, but for departments like Health, Education and Skills, and Culture Media and Sport.
All agencies with a part to play in preventing crime, dealing with crime, and working with offenders have committed to work together to improve the services they offer, their working practices, and to share information to maximise their effectiveness in dealing with young people at risk from crime and offenders.
We are drawing together all the resources, the expertise, and the initiative of Departments of Government, the criminal justice system and the police to free our streets from robbery and other violence.
In what percentage of robberies are mobile phones stolen?
Studies suggest that mobile phones are stolen in around half of all robberies and are the only item in around 20% of incidents. Young people , especially those of a school age, are proportionately more likely to be victims of this type of crime
What's the difference between snatch theft and robbery?
Robbery involves violence or the threat of violence. Snatch theft is property stolen from the physical possession of the victim and some degree of force directed to the property but not to the victim.
What is the Metropolitan Police doing to reduce crime in the capital?
In May 2006 the Metropolitan Police successfully re-launched their Safer Streets campaign which aimed to deter street crime across the capital. It targets known robbery hotspots, and persistent offenders and operates in the fifteen London boroughs with the highest levels of street crime: Westminster, Lambeth, Hackney, Southwark, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Haringey, Brent, into Newham, Croydon, Lewisham, Wandsworth, Ealing and Waltham Forest.
£65,000 funding was awarded to the Metropolitan Police in January to enhance their use of CCTV imaging. Improved usage in courts and police stations will result inmore informed bail decisions being made and potentially offendes not being released back onto the streets.
The latest information on this initiative is available at: http://www.met.police.uk
Is there a problem with under-reporting of robbery?
Crime in England and Wales 2005/2006 is a report based on the British Crime Survey and police recorded figures and it estimated just under half of robberies are being reported and half of these are recorded by the police. Although the British Crime Survey isn't that reliable in estimating the number of robberies, these figures had not changed in the previous two or three years, so they would be reasonable assumptions. However the BCS only relates to those aged 16 and over and the attrition rate may not be the same for those aged 11-16.
Last update: Thursday, November 06, 2008