Crime fears in North West

One in ten people living here also feel “very unsafe” walking alone after dark and consider abandoned or burnt out cars and vandalism, graffiti and other forms of criminal damage a big problem - the highest level of concern in Northern Ireland, according to newly-published statistics from DOJ.

It transpires public drunkenness, drug dealers, teenagers loitering, graffiti and vandalism and rubbish and litter are considered either a “very” or “fairly” big problem here and are the main crime bogeymen in the district.

But despite the high level of concern over anti-social behaviour and crime people sampled in the wider G Policing District - covering Londonderry, Strabane, Limavady and Magherafelt - were on the whole relatively blasé about the effect of the “fear of crime” on quality of life locally in comparison to their counterparts elsewhere in Northern Ireland.

The new research shows 68 per cent of people living here thought it had a minimal effect; 28 per cent thought it had a moderate effect; and 3 per cent thought it had a big effect. This marked people here as amongst the least concerned in Northern Ireland about the “fear of crime’s” impact on our quality of life.

The ‘Perceptions of Crime: Findings from the 2009/10 Northern Ireland Crime Survey’ report covers a wide range of issues and in addition to describing respondents’ perceptions of causes of crime, recent crime levels and the extent of problems of anti-social behaviour in the local area it illustrates three commonly used measures of concern about crime: worry about crime and personal safety; perceptions of the likelihood of victimisation; and perceptions of the effect of ‘fear of crime’ on quality of life.

In G District 11 per cent of people surveyed thought abandoned or burnt out cars a “very” or “fairly” big problem. The equivalent figures for noisy neighbours or loud parties was 8 per cent; people being drunk of rowdy in public places 27 per cent; people using or dealing drugs 25 per cent; teenagers hanging around on streets 29 per cent; rubbish or litter lying around 28 per cent; vandalism or graffiti 24 per cent; and the perceived level of anti-social behaviour 15 per cent.

In the North West 16 per cent of people were highly worried about burglary; 12 per cent were highly worried about car crime; and 19 per cent were highly worried about violent crime.

Eight per cent were very worried about all types of crime whilst 13 per cent of people said they felt very unsafe walking alone in their area after dark and 1 per cent felt very unsafe at home alone at night.

And at lease one in ten people think they will be burgled (12 per cent); a victim of car crime (15 per cent); or a victim of violent crime (11 per cent) in the next year.

Across Northern Ireland generally drugs (70 per cent), alcohol (67 per cent) and a lack of discipline from parents (62 per cent) were the three factors most commonly identified by NICS 2009/10 respondents as major causes of crime in Northern Ireland today.

When asked which single factor they considered to be the main cause of crime, a quarter of respondents cited ‘lack of discipline from parents’ (25 per cent) while a further 22 per cent cited “drugs.”

NICS 2009/10 respondents were more positive in their perceptions of crime levels in their local areas than at the regional level.

The proportion of adults perceiving crime to have increased, both locally (35 per cent) and in Northern Ireland as a whole (64 per cent), are among the lowest levels recorded by the survey.