Critically Evaluate The Fear Of Crime

This essay will critically evaluate ‘In what ways is the fear of crime harmful?’ The fear of crime as Box, Hale and Andrew’s state is… ‘Fear of been criminally victimised.... Many people are haunted by the though that a stranger could pounce at any moment, either on the street or at home.’ (Box, Hale and Andrew, p340, 1988.) The fear of crime refers to the phobia to being a victim of crime as opposed to being an actual victim of crime. The fear of crime can be harmful, as Cordner noted ‘while it is just a feeling, fear affects behaviour, politics, economics, and social life.’ (Cordner, pp, 2012.) The fear of crime can an negative affect on an individuals or a group of people’s social well-being, such things as fearing crime can affect people’s everyday routine habits and activities. This essay will conclude by researching what the fear of crime is, the effect is has on people and societies and how the fear of crime is perceived by the public factors such as the media.
Fearing Crime can effect on people’s everyday lives, it can prompt people to adapt their behaviors.
‘People generally respond to the fear of crime by adopting protective or avoidance behaviors’. (Doran, 2012, p10.) By fearing crime it may encourage people to adopt protective measurements, such things as carrying a weapon or learning self defense to protect one’s self or taking precautions such as installing anti-bulgur alarms or owning guard dogs to protect possessions. The Metropolitan Police state, ‘Studies reveal that it is far less likely that you will become the victim of a burglary at home if you have a correctly fitted and well maintained burglar alarm.’ (Metropolitan-Police, N.D) This proves by taking precaution’s it helps reduce the chances of being a crime victim reducing and the fear of
crime.

Through-out the year’s peoples thoughts and behaviors regarding the fear of crime have become more noticeable. The general public are given daily updates about crime by different media sources such as the news, newspapers and the internet. As Dowler states ‘Public knowledge of crime and justice is largely derived from the media.’ (Dowler, p109, 2002.) The media portrays crime in an exaggerated form which encourages the public to believe that the likely-hood of being a victim of crime is greater. However crime rates in Britain have dropped through out the years, The Telegraph notes ‘Reports of crime against an individual in 2011/12 occurred at a rate of 78 per 1,000 people, down from 87 in 2010/11.’ (Anon, 2012). The media has a huge impact on societies, this links in with Stuarts Hall’s theory of media dominance, he notes because some of the media produce material which often is impartial and serious, they are accorded a high degree of respect and authority.