What can contribute to older people’s fear of crime?
Older people live in every community in the United
Kingdom.
Like other groups of similar age, older people vary
greatly in their backgrounds, capabilities, circumstances,
attitudes and aspirations. Society often makes the mistake
that as soon as someone reaches their 60th
birthday, their needs or outlook are suddenly identical or
even similar to those of everyone else that age.
Incidentally, only 20 per cent of those in their 60s and
just over 50 per cent of those in their 70s actually think
of themselves as older people.
Although older people may be experienced and resourceful,
many are also vulnerable. Stressful issues such as ill
health, bereavement, isolation and fear for the future
confront them, as well as the minor hassles that we all face
daily. Older people cope with these situations in different
ways. Some adjust and adapt. Others put up with pain,
loneliness and loss of loved ones as best they can.
Regrettably, all too many fall into a state of dependence
and depression. Remember, however, that frailty and physical
decline do not by themselves imply weakness in mind or
spirit.
Lets us now deal with specific conditions that can
attribute to an older person’s fear of crime and add to
their perception of crime in their community.
Increased physical and mental frailty
The increase in physical and mental frailty and decline
in health is undoubtedly the single biggest factor
contributing to older people’s sense of vulnerability.
Failing strength and increased difficulty in getting about
can have a real impact on an individual’s self-confidence
as they age.
In relation to the fear of crime, this is often translated
in to a sense that their personal safety is no longer in
their own hands. If they are attacked, they worry they won’t
be able to run away or fight back.
An Age Concern survey about the Fear of Street Crime
among Older People found that this sense of vulnerability
increased with age. It was a postal survey and 4000
questionnaires were returned, with a sample of 1,857 being
analysed to obtain an even geographical distraction of
response. For respondents aged over 75, the fear of crime
was also mixed-in with a fear of bikers, skateboarders and
even electric wheelchairs – i.e. anything that was going
fast enough to injure them or cause them to fall over if
they accidentally crashed in to them.
Anti-social behaviour
Another big factor identified in the Age Concern survey
was anti-social behaviour, particularly in connection with
younger people. Many of the survey’s respondents
cited this as a highly relevant issue to making them feel
unsafe, and nearly one in five said that they had personally
experienced verbal abuse or harassment on the street.
However, many older people are reluctant to report
incidences of anti-social behaviour. Although distressing,
they know it’s not a criminal matter, as such, and
consequently they are unsure who to tell or whether anything
can be done about it in any case.
Increased isolation
Loneliness is another big factor affecting older people.
As discussed above, the loss of a partner can severely
affect an individual’s confidence in their own abilities,
but physical frailty also makes it much more difficult to
travel to see friends and family, or participate in social
events.
A vicious circle can easily develop where individuals are
scared to step out of their front door because of fear of
crime, which fuels their isolation and in turn their fear of
crime.
In the Age Concern survey, one in five of the
respondents' aged 75 and over said that they rarely see
their friends and families because of the fear of crime.
Lack of information
The Age Concern survey highlighted that apart from
Neighbourhood Watch and Crimestoppers, older people knew
very little about any of the other crime prevention work
being done by local authorities or police in their area. It
also underlined the fact that older people were unlikely to
have been consulted about crime prevention in their area.
This left the media, and in particular the local media,
as the main source of information on crime for older people.
As the Fear of Crime toolkit explores in some depth,
sensationalist reporting often presents a very skewed
picture of what is actually happening in an area, and can
contribute greatly to an increased fear of crime.
What can be done to help older people manage and
reduce their fear?
