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Susan McVie University of Edinburgh

Rural crime in Scotland: What can we learn from the Scottish Crime Survey and Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics?. Susan McVie University of Edinburgh. Structure. Definition of terms About the Scottish Crime Survey Profile of rural crime Characteristics of victims Issues for rural victims

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Susan McVie University of Edinburgh

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  1. Rural crime in Scotland: What can we learn from the Scottish Crime Survey and Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics? Susan McVie University of Edinburgh

  2. Structure • Definition of terms • About the Scottish Crime Survey • Profile of rural crime • Characteristics of victims • Issues for rural victims • Relationships with the police • About Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics • Standard and advanced reports • Thematic maps and data downloads

  3. Definition of Rural Urban = Populations over 10,000 Accessible rural = Populations smaller than 10,000 but within 30 minute drive of larger settlement Remote rural = Populations smaller than 10,000 and more than 30 minute drive of larger settlement

  4. Definition of Rural Crime • Crime that happens in rural areas • Crimes that are more specific/common to rural areas e.g. wildlife crime

  5. The Scottish Crime Survey • National survey of households in Scotland • One adult per household, sample=5000 • Eight sweeps since 1982, every 3-4 years • Main aims are: • Provide a comparative measure of crime to police statistics • Examine trends in extent & nature of crime • Study risks of victimisation • Collect information on crime-related issues, such as concern about crime and attitudes to the police.

  6. Limitations of the survey • Not all crime types are included • Not all victims are included • Some sample bias can’t be corrected • Small samples make low level analysis problematic e.g. at police force area level • BUT the new Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2008 has improved design and sample size

  7. Estimated number of crimes in Scotland 2005/06

  8. Incidence of crime (i.e. number of crimes per victim)

  9. Reporting to the police • Crimes in rural areas slightly more likely overall to be reported to the police than crimes in urban areas (39% vs 35%) • This is particularly the case for vehicle thefts and property vandalism • The main reasons for reporting crimes are: • It’s the right thing to do/duty to report • Hope the offender gets caught/punished • Wish to avoid the crime happening again/to others • Insurance claim or desire to recover property • No difference between urban and rural areas

  10. Age/sex profile of victims • No sex difference overall between victims and non-victims in urban or rural areas (approx 50:50) • The average age of victims in urban and rural areas was the same (age 39), although rural respondents were slightly older overall • Looking at violent crimes in particular: • Males are more likely to be victims in both urban and rural areas, but the gender gap is narrower in rural areas • Males aged 16-24 made up one third of victims in urban areas, but one quarter of victims in rural areas • Older males (45-59) made up a higher proportion of violence victims in rural areas than in urban areas • Victims of violence in rural areas were about 5 years older, on average, than urban victims • Female victims were slightly older than male victims in both urban and rural areas

  11. Anxieties about crime • Most victims of crime in both urban and rural areas report feeling ‘annoyed’ and ‘angry’ about their experience. • Less than 1 in 10 report ‘fear’. • Those in remote rural areas are most likely to feel safe walking alone in their communities at night, urban residents feel least safe • Most rural respondents also report feeling least worried about the possibility of being victimised in a range of ways • BUT victims of crime in remote rural areas are most worried about being victimised again, particularly in relation to vehicle theft and vandalism

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