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Fear of Crime

In: Social Issues

Submitted By valogrant
Words 2490
Pages 10
We have a strange situation in Australia. At a time when people seem to be more worried by crime, the research evidence suggests crime rates are not increasing. How can we explain this apparent contradiction?

Word count: 2089

The threat of crime victimisation is ever-present in our daily lives. Despite the best laid defences, each one of us are likely to become a victim of crime at some point in our life time. Such direct experiences with crime can leave devastating effects, on the victims and their loved ones, for years to come. However, the chance of becoming a victim of crime is actually very slim. Media programming and reports are an indirect form of exposure to crime and the impact crime has on its victims. The likelihood of being exposed to crime through the media is far greater than chances of victimisation. In this technology-based age, it's almost impossible to avoid crime in the media. On countless occasions, the Australian public have shown a rising perception rate of crime and have a particular fear of burglary, motor vehicle theft and robbery. However, this widely-held view is in stark contrast to actual rates of crime over the same period of time. The public's fear and perception of rising crime within Australia is strongly influenced by the media through a selective process of over-emphasising violence and crime in news reporting and television programs, portrayed without context or consequence.
Recent Australian studies suggest the general public continues to perceive crime rates to be rising and that burglary, motor vehicle theft and robbery are the most commonly feared crimes. Weatherburn and Indermaur (2004) surveyed 1109 adults living in New South Wales and Western Australia, questioning them about crime trends over the previous twenty-four months. The survey focused on six common crimes, home break-in, motor vehicle theft, robbery with

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