Crime

Crime has a negative effect on all our lives and damages entire communities. Most people have been affected by crime at some point in their life. It threatens businesses and creates a sense of fear. What exactly is crime and what are criminal activities?

What is Crime?

A crime is any act or deviant behaviour that breaks the law. We may have an idea of what ‘normal’ behaviour is and we generally recognise types of deviant behaviour that fall outside this concept.

Every country has its own set of laws and makes decisions about what is legal and what is illegal. These laws are usually made by the government or ruling party in order to keep order and peace.

According to research, the link between income, inequality and crime is continuing to rise. Therefore, tackling social issues is the first step towards tackling crime.

The Difference Between Crime and Deviant Behaviour

Like crime, deviance is behaviour that most people would classify as ‘not normal’ and what society regards as unacceptable. But while crime involves breaking the law, not all deviant behaviour is criminal. For example, your neighbour may keep 50 cats. You may think this is not normal, but your neighbour is not a criminal because of it.

Just as not all deviant behaviour is a crime, there are examples of crimes that are not deviant. For example, speeding is illegal, and while not being considered socially acceptable, perpetrators are not thought of as criminals.

Common Crimes

Criminal offenses are varied and differ in nature and number from country to country. The most common forms of criminal activity are:

• Theft
• Fraudulent activity
• Assault
• Vehicle crimes
• Crimes committed with offensive weapons
• Hate crimes
• Rape
• Murder

Globally, theft is the most common crime, followed by assault and vehicle crimes. Murder is considered one of the most serious crimes, and worldwide more than 400,000 people die from homicide each year.

Knife crime in the UK is also featured regularly in the news and has become a growing concern among young people and adults alike. Some of the knife crime statistics are extremely harrowing.

Police Stop and Question

In the UK, police forces have the power to stop and question anyone in public at anytime. Police officers do not necessarily have to be in uniform but they must show their warrant card as proof of their identity. On the other hand, police community support officers (PCSOs) must be in uniform when they stop and question someone.

People are not obliged to stop or answer any questions and cannot be searched or arrested if there is no reason for suspicion.

Police Stop and Search

Police officers have the power to stop and search someone if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect them of carrying something illegal. This includes:

• A weapon
• Illegal drugs
• Stolen property
• Something deemed to be used for criminal activity

Before being searched, the police officer must provide:

• Their name and police station location.
• The reason for their search and what they expect to find.
• Legal reasons as to why they are performing a search.
• Awareness of active recording devices like body cameras.
• Information on how to receive a record of the search.

There is no doubt that tackling crime is a high priority in every country around the world.