Issues for the Election: Crime Rates

Traditionally one of the biggest political issues during election campaigns is the discussion of crime rates. Governments are keen to highlight successes in the reduction of crime across the country, as they believe that this provides them with a vote of confidence from the public.

However, the official statistics produced by organisations such as the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are often criticised for not necessarily reporting all crimes accurately. Domestic violence rates, for example, are often heavily underreported and therefore go under-recorded in official reports.  

The BBC have also recently found that the issue of crime is not as a significant issue for many voters like in the past, with the EU reported as “one of the most important issues facing Britain today. [And] only 8% are concerned by crime.”