That article is a fantastic example of what I was saying:
The media’s awfully good at stirring up fear by concentrating on specific subsections of crime that are rising amidst an overall downward trend.
And look at what the article says:
Between 2017 and 2022, the number of serious assault reports increased by 121%, while reports of acts intended to cause injury went up by almost 30%.
They cherry-picked some subsection of crime and time-frame to present an impression that crime is going up, whilst conveniently saying nothing about the overall rate of serious crime.
You won’t find decent statistics in the media. The long-term gradual reduction in crime rates does not fuel fear and drive clicks, so it’s rarely reported on. There’s enormous amounts of academic literature, but if you want a quick rundown, look at the Crime Rates section of this page.
Besides, going looking for statistics can give you false conclusions. Interpretation is complicated, and needs to be viewed in the context of things like changes in reporting and categorisation of crimes over time. For example, the article you linked to mentions that the reporting of retail crime went up significantly once the police released an app that makes it much easier to report low-level offences. That’s likely where that bump came from.
In view of the complexity, it’s much easier to look to experts in the field, rather than attempting to do their job better than them. I’ve read and heard enough from experts to know that the gradual reduction in crime since the 90s is a well-known phenomenon, and is happening in many developed countries. I’d never be able to remember their names, but there’s one in that article I linked.
That article is a fantastic example of what I was saying:
And look at what the article says:
They cherry-picked some subsection of crime and time-frame to present an impression that crime is going up, whilst conveniently saying nothing about the overall rate of serious crime.
You won’t find decent statistics in the media. The long-term gradual reduction in crime rates does not fuel fear and drive clicks, so it’s rarely reported on. There’s enormous amounts of academic literature, but if you want a quick rundown, look at the Crime Rates section of this page.
Besides, going looking for statistics can give you false conclusions. Interpretation is complicated, and needs to be viewed in the context of things like changes in reporting and categorisation of crimes over time. For example, the article you linked to mentions that the reporting of retail crime went up significantly once the police released an app that makes it much easier to report low-level offences. That’s likely where that bump came from.
In view of the complexity, it’s much easier to look to experts in the field, rather than attempting to do their job better than them. I’ve read and heard enough from experts to know that the gradual reduction in crime since the 90s is a well-known phenomenon, and is happening in many developed countries. I’d never be able to remember their names, but there’s one in that article I linked.