Is crime in the UK that bad? Not when you compare it to other countries!
I am often frustrated by the way that the Media tries to portray crime in this country as being out of control. A free Press has many advantages, but one of the huge disadvantages is their propensity to sensationalise and exaggerate in order to sell more papers and get more viewers.
As a businessman, I understand this, but I worry about the negative impact that this over-eager portrayal of crime has on society.
Despite the fact that crime is generally lower than it was ten years, people like my mother have been convinced by the tabloids that their lives are in danger the minute that they step outside their front door.
Clearly, there are some very serious problems to be addressed, such as the increase in knife and gun crime, but we need to look at the causes of these seriously and not dismiss them as being entirely due to ‘gangsta rap’ and ‘computer games’.
As someone who sometimes listens to that type of music, and has been known to wield a gun in the odd computer game, I don’t think that doing either has made me likely to commit a violent crime.
(The fact that I plated Cowboys and Indians with my friends around the streets of Bounds Green seems more likely to lead to that sort of behaviour!)
Any increase in violent crime is probably a result of the increased polarisation in our society, and we’ll make more progress trying to tackle that than focusing on red herrings like computer games – I’ve seen many Hollywood films that are more violent than the average shoot-em-up.
I have found that my extensive business travels are very useful in giving me a perspective on life in my beloved England, and when it comes to violent crime, it’s no exception.
I found this recent summary of murder rates around the world:
Admittedly, this chart is few years out of date, but I’m reliably informed that the relative positions of the countries have stayed broadly the same.
Next time you feel a pang of nerves about crime in England, just be thankful that you don’t live in nearby Belgium which has a murder rate three times as high!