Following on from an earlier post re: Fear of Crime...Contributing Factors to Fear of Crime
There are a number of factors which may significantly increase the fear of crime in the community, including:
Media Sensationalism
"Bad News Sells". Incidents of crime often make a good story. Subsequently, the media is quick to report on negative incidents that occur whilst ignoring positive ones (success stories). Thus a perception is often generated that there is a higher risk of encountering crime than what there really is. This is perhaps best highlighted in incidents involving older people, which seem to attract a dramatically disproportionate amount of media coverage to reality of occurrences, thereby significantly increasing the fear of crime of this group.
Continuum of Minor Harassment
Frequent exposure to incidents of minor harassment, e.g. wolf whistles, inappropriate comments, obscene phone calls and unwanted sexual touching, can have a significant effect of people’s perceptions of risk and their levels of fear (Criminology Research Council, 1998, Fear of Crime Campaign).
The Australian Bureau of Statistics Women’s Safety Australia (1996) survey found that in the 12 months previous to the survey: 15% of women had experienced inappropriate comments about body/sex, 15% had received an obscene phone call and 5% had experienced unwanted sexual touching.
Perceptions of Vulnerability
A number of factors may contribute to personal perceptions of vulnerability such as age, gender, perceived physical strength, fear of sexual assault, previous victimisation, etc.Perceived Loss of Control – through frequent experiences of incivilities.In his 1995 book Fear of Crime: Interpreting Victimisation, Ferraro established from a literature review that incivility encompassed both physical and social environments. Physical incivility refers to disorderly surroundings such as litter, abandoned buildings/cars, graffiti, broken/barricaded windows, etc. Whereas social incivility includes disruptive behaviour such as rowdy youths, homeless people, beggars, drunks and inconsiderate neighbours.
These incivilities may, either separately or combined, indirectly heighten fear of crime through giving the impression of a loss of control of the environment and a lack of caring.
Anticipation of Serious Consequences
For both women and men, the seriousness of rape is often perceived as equal in consequence to murder. Subsequently their anticipation of the serious consequences of this type of crime is extremely high.
Similarly some people, especially those who are older, suffering ill-health, physically incapacitated or financially limited, may have high levels of fear generated through their perceived lack of ability to physically and financially recover from a crime incident perpetrated against them.
Strategies to Address a Disproportionate Fear of Crime
A disproportionate fear of crime can severely detract from a person’s health and well-being. It is therefore essential to identify a number of strategies that may reduce this fear, including:
Community EducationIt is important to address the underlying reasons behind people’s fear of crime and educate them of the common trends, actual risks and effective personal safety strategies to minimise their chances of becoming a victim.
This way the first steps will be taken to ensuring all people enjoy a healthy and positive lifestyle unfettered by unnecessary constraints. This education could take place through presentations delivered to any community group or forum, including Neighbourhood Watch, Lions, Rotary, sporting groups, etc.
Media Coverage
Media coverage of success stories coupled with the realistic portrayal of personal violence risks will significantly contribute to the reduction of fear. People can support this strategy by advising the media (particularly local papers) of success stories they are aware of, or by making complaints in relation to the unrealistic portrayal of personal violence resulting from particular stories.
Assertive Behaviour
Encouraging community members, friends and family to be assertive and confident will assist in reducing their fear of crime, as well as their risk of becoming a victim of personal violence.
Reinforcement of Personal Strengths
People who experience fear are generally not confident in maintaining their personal safety. By encouraging people to be committed to their personal safety, and reinforcing their personal strengths, such as negotiation skills, physical strength and/or self defence skills, you can assist to increase their confidence and commitment to their safety, and reduce their fear of crime.
Home and Property Security Education
Providing community members with crime prevention information on topics such as home and property security, may alleviate their fear of crime by being aware of, and taking action to address their fear whilst in the home or of having property stolen.
Source: Queensland Police website
