We speak to politics expert Steve McCabe about how safe our neighbourhoods really are. Are more crimes being committed, or are we simply better at reporting when they occur?
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00:00There is no doubt that sort of when you talk to people, everyone's got some stories of sort of crime that they've witnessed and that sort of somehow or other society has become more dangerous.
00:09Quite clearly, it depends upon your sort of what the individual experiences are and people sort of trade upon that.
00:15The reality is the statistics don't indicate sort of such. In fact, if anything, they sort of say that our streets are getting safer.
00:22But yeah, try telling that to sort of people. Maybe because we've got more ageing population, as people get older, they sort of become more fearful.
00:27The fact that sort of crime is an issue and that's not to sort of to undermine the sort of the fact that people are sort of regularly, you know, I know people who sort of had car break ins and break ins in their homes and whatever else.
00:40But, you know, is it any sort of more dangerous than ever being? No, you know, we've got to look at the statistics, but that's not going to sort of cut through with sort of the general public if they sort of feel more threatened.
00:50And it's a lot more dangerous to sort of to be a young person.
00:54And indeed, violent crime and sort of the sort of the sexual crimes that were being talked about, you know, they do tend to be sort of concentrate in younger sort of people on a sort of Friday and Saturday night.
01:05And unfortunately, it's a combination of alcohol, drugs, which are sort of big issues for.
01:11But of course, you know, they have been issues for as long as people have been around.
01:14But I'm doubting that that's a sort of big difficulty. And of course, you know, that that's something that sort of people look to the policing to sort of deal with.
01:22And, you know, they handle it as best they can with the resources that they've got.
01:26It depends upon people sort of wanting to, as you say, go to sort of the local police station and sort of do this or to make this a report and then follow it through.
01:35And you're absolutely right that sort of in the past that there was a sort of culture among the police not to sort of treat these crimes with the sort of the seriousness that they say they absolutely deserved.
01:45Of course, you know, what we're also talking about in terms of sort of the fact is that policing is very different.
01:49The old days where sort of, you know, Bobbies used to walk the street, you know, they're gone because, of course, they have fewer of them.
01:55So, of course, it has to be intelligent led. And indeed, the police have a lot on their plate in terms of sort of the threat from sort of terrorism abroad and whatever else.
02:03Of course, what this perception also leads into somehow that sort of this crime is being brought in from abroad.
02:09You know, that's a sort of a trope that's sort of regularly sort of played out by those on sort of the right wing.
02:14And of course, that's used and abused in the way that, of course, it's meant to be.
02:18So somehow, you know, more facts, more statistics and getting people to know what the reality is, is really crucial to understand this.
02:25But hey, you know, working with your local police force is vital.