A report highlighted the existing and potential future threats to vulnerable adults in relation to economic crime. It covered the wide spectrum of financial abuse and exploitation against vulnerable people by family members, care workers, and unscrupulous individuals.
Source: City of London Police, Financial Crime Against Vulnerable Adults, Social Care Institute for Excellence
Links: Report | City of London Police press release | ACPO press release
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined the link between immigrant segregation, enclaves, and crime. Crime was found to be substantially lower in those neighbourhoods with sizeable immigrant population shares.
Source: Brian Bell and Stephen Machin, Immigrant Enclaves and Crime, DP1104, Centre for Economic Performance (London School of Economics)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
A paper examined the impact of unemployment on crime in Europe. Unemployment was found to be positively correlated with property crime.
Source: Duha Altindag, Crime and Unemployment: Evidence from Europe, Working Paper 2011-13, Department of Economics, Auburn University (Alabama, USA)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Oct
A new book examined the economics of crime within the study of crime and criminology, including the impact of the labour market and poverty on crime, and what forms of crime reduction and methods of reducing reoffending were most cost-beneficial.
Source: Kevin Albertson and Chris Fox, Crime and Economics: An introduction, Willan Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Sep
The crime and justice chapter of Social Trends 41 was published. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of people in England and Wales thought that crime had risen at national level between 2008-09 and 2009-10, whereas the estimated number of crimes had actually fallen from 10.4 million to 9.5 million.
Source: Louise Clarke, 'Crime and Justice', Social Trends 41, Office for National Statistics
Links: Report | ONS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Aug
There was 'no statistically significant change' in the number of crimes estimated from the 2010-11 official surveys in England and Wales (9.6 million offences) compared with the previous year (9.5 million offences) – consistent with a flattening trend in crime.
Source: Rupert Chaplin, John Flatley, and Kevin Smith (eds.), Crime in England and Wales 2010/11: Findings from the British Crime Survey and police recorded crime, Statistical Bulletin 10/11, Home Office
Links: Bulletin | ACPO press release | Labour Party press release | Police Federation press release
Date: 2011-Jul
The coalition government announced that it had accepted all the recommendations made in a review of official crime statistics by the national statistician. The Office for National Statistics would in future assume responsibility for the independent reporting and publication of crime statistics. The presentation of crime statistics needed further improvement to provide clarity about the coverage of the two sources of crime statistics – the British Crime Survey and police recorded crime.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 18 July 2011, column 85WS, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release
Date: 2011-Jul
A paper examined how socio-economic and police enforcement variables affected property and violent crimes at different points of the crime distribution in England and Wales over the period 1992-2007.
Source: Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Samrat Bhattachary, and Rudra Sensarm, An Analysis of the Factors Determining Crime in England and Wales: A quantile regression approach, Discussion Paper 11-12, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jul
Researchers examined the links between homicide and organized crime. They assessed the proportion of homicides that could be shown to have links to organized crime and examined differences in characteristics between organized crime-related homicides and other homicides. 6 per cent of all recorded non-terrorist homicides in England and Wales in 2005-06 were assessed as having some link to organized crime.
Source: Matt Hopkins and Nick Tilley, Exploring the Links Between Homicide and Organised Crime, Research Report 54, Home Office
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined levels of corruption in 23 sectors and institutions. Although corruption was not endemic, in some areas it was a much greater problem than recognized and there was an inadequate response to its growing threat.
Source: Chandrashekhar Krishnan and Robert Barrington, Corruption in the UK: Overview and policy recommendations, Transparency International UK
Links: Overview report | Report part 1 | Report part 2 | Report part 3 | Transparency International press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the association between national welfare state regimes and public insecurities about crime across Europe. There was a 'strong relationship' between insecurities about crime and national levels of social expenditure and decommodification of social welfare policy. State-level social protection might buffer the development of widespread fear of crime by increasing self-efficacy and thereby mitigating various social and economic fears.
Source: Dina Hummelsheim, Helmut Hirtenlehner, Jonathan Jackson, and Dietrich Oberwittler, 'Social insecurities and fear of crime: a cross-national study on the impact of welfare state policies on crime-related anxieties', European Sociological Review, Volume 27 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the extent of organized crime in Europe.
Source: EU Organised Crime Threat Assessment, Europol
Links: Europol press release
Date: 2011-May
A new book examined the many different manifestations of violence in society, including racist and homophobic crime.
Source: Larry Ray, Violence and Society, SAGE Publications
Links: Summary | Kent University press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The watchdog in Scotland for the rights of children and young people said that at least 80 – and possibly many more – children might have been trafficked into Scotland in the previous 18 months without a single person being convicted for the crimes. The number of actual referrals of suspected child trafficking cases was only the tip of the iceberg, and many more children might remain unidentified.
Source: Scotland: A Safe Place for Child Traffickers?, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Links: Report | Appendices | SCCYP press release | SRC press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined the psychological processes behind violence carried out by prisoners who were street-gang members. The main reasons why people joined gangs included the desire for money, respect, protection, and a sense of belonging.
Source: Daryl Harris, Russell Turner, Ian Garrett, and Sally Atkinson, Understanding the Psychology of Gang Violence: Implications for designing effective violence interventions, Research Report 2/11, Ministry of Justice
Date: 2011-Mar
A paper examined the issue of trafficking in human beings for domestic servitude in Europe.
Source: Unprotected Work, Invisible Exploitation: Trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude, Occasional Paper 4, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined the extent and cost of 'cyber' crime.
Source: Detica Limited, The Cost of Cyber Crime, Cabinet Office
Links: Report | Cabinet Office press release
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the relationship between men's age at marriage and subsequent reductions in offending behaviour.
Source: Delphine Theobald and David Farrington, 'Why do the crime-reducing effects of marriage vary with age?', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 51 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
The government announced an independent review into the collection and publication of crime statistics. Responsibility for their publication would move from the Home Office to an independent body.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 20 January 2011, columns 48-49WS, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the existing state of knowledge regarding older people and crime. There were a number of gaps: in particular, the fear of crime paradox, in which older people were seen as disproportionately concerned about the possibility of becoming a victim, had drawn attention away from much more important issues.
Source: Stephen Moore, 'Older people, fear and crime: problems and new directions', Working with Older People, Volume 14 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan