ruhe

the other thread is off now, but i did manage to find and read your message.

we could go around in circles all day with you saying you think crime figures are massaged, and me saying that they are better than 'opinion'. however, i would in this case point you to the british crime survey, which, is consistent in its measurement (unlike police recorded crime figures which, as you point out, get changed when the laws or procedures get changed).

that is one reason the BCS was invented. to provide ocnsistent data. furthermore, it, through the use of interviews and surveys, attempts to measure unreported crime by looking at personal experience as well as crime figures. thus it is considered the most accurate measurement available.

The BCS reports are consistent in thier reading that crime has dropped. not just in recorded crime. but in personal experience of crime of their sample populations.

however, they continually report that 'perceptions' of crime are increasing. so, less recorded crime. less personal experience of crime.. yet more perception that crime is increasing? how can you explain that apart from media hype?

now, i would like to tackle your point here:

"Law enforcement is the easiest job in the world- no really it is. However that has been made much harder by this government's insistance of introducing half-baked and rushed through legislation when all that was required was for them to think things through."

--couldn't agree more. but what are the roots of this? i would argue that it is caving in to media fuelled public pressue. the government is put in a position of having to respond to a 'problem' (the 'epidemic of crime') that does not particualrly exist!

you can see the cabinet meetings:

"everybody is on us to do something about crime..."

"so what is going in, what are the figures like?"

"well, pretty much all the figures are down actually, so whatever we are doing at the moment, it does seem to be working"

"hmmm... well the public want action... we have to be seen to be doing something, maybe a gimmik like community police officers will shut them up"

"ok then, if it'll get the papers off our back, we'll give it a try".

--so yes, i agree that more thought is needed. knee-jerk reactions to media scaremongering are pointless, and do more harm than good. it is not good for policy, and it is not good for the quality of life of people.

(incidentially, it kind of reminds me of the accusation of the england football team as being 'impossible to manage' because of the demands and interference of the british media. however, there the fundamental difference is that england continually put in sub-par performances, whereas crime has been continually falling.)

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