Knifecrime Islanders Scared Of Their Own (Knife-Wielding) Shadows

A survey of British voters finds the majority “deeply pessimistic about the state of Britain today, believing that society is broken and heading in the wrong direction” with almost 60% saying “that they hardly recognise the country they are living in, while 42 per cent say they would emigrate if they could.” This is interesting: I was reading an article in this week’s Economist (sorry, that line reeks of “I’ll take ‘Things Douchebags Say’ for $1000, Alex”) on “Broken Britain” which reported that, actually, things aren’t that bad.

The heightened fears are a puzzle to criminologists, who point out that over the past 15 years Britain has experienced a steady, deep fall in crime. The statistics are notoriously hard to interpret, but according to the British Crime Survey, the Home Office’s most reliable measure though still far from perfect, crime overall has dropped by 45% since its peak in 1995. A big chunk of that fall is owing to reductions in vehicle theft and domestic burglary, for which alarm manufacturers and increased householder vigilance probably deserve as much credit as the police. But violent crime has fallen too. It is now almost half what it was in 1995, and no higher than in 1981.

The article goes on to note that while “the number of murders involving ‘sharp instruments’ (bottles as well as knives) has risen slightly,” gun murders have not risen and homicides are at their lowest level in 19 years.

So why the huge discrepancy between perception and reality? One theory holds that Britons are a bunch of miserable cunts who always see the worst in everything. The Economist suggests rising expectations in the state’s ability to curtail crime results in disappointment when people still see yobs in hoodies hanging out on corners. And, of course, stories like this one or this one-”The dramatic increase will fuel fears about the growing underclass of teen yobs terrorising communities across Britain.”-can’t help.