Learning Outcomes Assessed by TMA 01

The crime rates in Scotland has increased by 1.7% according to latest reports shared by the Police department of Scotland. This is the overall rise in the crime rates in the region. Therefore this is the reason people have this perception that crime rates are increasing in the region and many of the newspaper reports and articles highlights the same. The particular news article in The Moon has the same issue to speak about.

Scotland police department is known all over the world for their efficiency in investigating crimes, they have set standards for their fast solution of cases that are complicated (Mason). However the overall increase in the crime rates all over the region has raised some doubts on the efficiency of the police department. The Moon article titled “The Scottish Highlands Becomes Hotbed For Crime” also raises question on women’s safety and related issues.

The article in The Moon starts with the Government report about how the crime rates in Scotland is increasing and the non-urban areas are more prone to violence and the cities are comparatively safer. The women of the city have given their interviews regarding the matter one of whose name is Lorna McDonald who says ““I always thought it was much safer living in the Highlands than in the big city like Glasgow, but seeing these figures I’m going to make sure I keep

Everything locked up”. The article can be stated as somewhat partial against the law and order authorities of the region because there are many achievements of the police in solving various complicated crimes in the city, all those have not been highlighted only the challenges in the crime rates of the region has been highlighted. The report highlights the views of various women who are scared to come out of their houses due to declining law and order situation in the region (Kilday). The Moon articles directly quotes from women who are scared about the consequences “It used to be safe around here, but now I’m afraid to go out after dark”. Outsiders reading the article would really feel that the law and order situation of the region. A place where women are afraid to go out of their houses due to declined law and order situation must be in a very bad state of administration.

However the article also mentions that Edinburgh and Glasgow has considerably improved in terms of law and order and are now safest cities in the region with the crime reducing at considerable extant, 11% and 9% respectively to be precise.  The article ends at a negative note where the increase in the rape cases are highlighted and presently they are at a critical level. The levels are presently the highest which should be controlled by the Scotland police department as soon as possible. The rape cases and crime rates against the women are the main reasons why the women are now concerned. The article basically talks about the deteriorating law and order situation of Scotland and how women are seriously threatened because of the same reason and they have expressed their stand point on the issue. The article also summarizes the present percentage of rise or fall of the law and order situation of the state is recorded as per the government endeavors.

The Crime Rates in Scotland

The article from The Moon has raised the issue of women safety and the words have come from the women’s themselves. The government report states that there was a rise of 12.2 percent in the crimes related to sexual offences. Therefore this staggering number in itself is worrisome and it needs to be looked upon by the authorities as soon as possible. Violent crimes which include murders and other fatal crimes. However it is seen that the violent crime rates are decreasing after the force was created (Knepper). The article is written in a particular tone where it is understood that Scotland has become a center of violence and the crime rates are soaring high without any control, which is not a complete truth. The article can be critiqued by saying that it is partially true and the complete picture has not been presented. Though the article in The Moon also talks about the two cities where the crime rates have fallen drastically, that is too insignificant and less in comparison with the whole article. The rates of crime has though increased to some extent but it is not true that the Scottish Highlands have become a “hotbed” of crime and criminal activities.  That is too harsh to be stated like that. The rural regions are more prone to crime in comparison to the urban regions. This is the reason that the population, especially the woman population finds it difficult and worried to be based in the rural regions and many of them expresses their desire to move to safer regions. The article clearly mentions that the people living in the rural regions are at the highest risk of being victims of any kind of criminal activities that takes place. Otherwise the cities are much safer in comparison. The police department needs to give more attention to the rural areas to improve the situation and to ensure that the crime rates drop down in these regions. The article also separately describes about the sexual harassment cases and the sexual crimes which are increasing at a high rate. Sexual offences are mainly the reason why the women are so concerned about not going to the risky places at night (Crawford). The women in the interview state that they prefer shutting their doors when its night time because they feel unsafe in the hours when it is dark.

If someone reads the article one is sure to have the impression that the rural regions of Scotland is very risky and there is great security concerns in the region and the police department is not enough efficient to tackle the situation.

The Moon News Report: Partial and One-Sided

The government has its own reports about the crime rates and the offences in the region. The official government site is in which it is stated that the crime rates are lowest in the region since the 1974. 238,651 is the recorded number of crimes in the year 2016 to 2017 (Gov.scot). The number is 3% lesser than the number of crimes that took place in 2015 to 2016. In Scotland, the government reports states that since 2006/ 2007 the crime rates have come down to 43%. The highest rate of crime was recorded in 572,921 (Gov.scot).

In 2016 to 2017, the highest number of crimes happened of dishonesty is the highest and accounts to more than 47%. The percentage of other crimes are 23%, vandalism accounts to 22%, sexual crimes amounts to 5%, the number of non-sexual violence amounts to 3% of the total number of physical violence. The area which saw the largest rise in the crime rates is Midlothian where the rise amounted to 12%. 78% of these crimes were that of dishonesty and fraud and rest comprise of all other crimes including sexual violence (Gov.scot).

The highest number of Crime rates decrease was seen in the city of Edinburgh, where the number of crimes were reduced by 2300. The largest number of crime according to this report was recorded in the city of Glasgow. Glasgow has 11% of the total population of Scotland however the percentage of crimes amounted to 18% (Gov.scot). Therefore the article which states that Glasgow is one of the safest cities in the region is not completely true. From other perspectives the city is prone to crime if the same statistics are viewed from other perspectives.

It can be stated that the news report has various contradictions with the actual government report. The report states “The overall decrease in recorded crime between 2015-16 and 2016-17 was reflected in 20 of the 32 local authorities, with 11 experiencing an increase and one with very little change from the previous year. Year on year figures can vary across local authorities, however the long term trend is broadly the same across Scotland.”

Conclusion

It can be concluded by saying that the news report has its own limitations and bias. The news report mainly focuses on the short falls of the crime and order situation of the region. However the government reports state otherwise and present many data that are positive about the image of Scotland. The news report partially presents one sided data and do not conform to the complete picture that is otherwise presented by the Government report. The journalists must be well aware about the fact that only presenting one sided information to the readers would be detrimental to the image of the place. The news report must highlight all the aspects of the government report and not just talk about how the rural areas are prone to criminal activities. The police must also give more attention to the rural areas.

Reference:

Crawford, Adam, ed. Crime prevention policies in comparative perspective. Routledge, 2013.

Gov.scot. “Recorded Crime In Scotland: 2016-2017 – Gov.Scot”. Gov.Scot, 2018, https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2016-17/pages/4/. Accessed 10 Nov 2018.

Kilday, Anne-Marie. Women and Violent Crime in Enlightenment Scotland. Vol. 58. Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2015.

Knepper, Paul. “Falling crime rates: What happened last time.” Theoretical criminology 19.1 (2015): 59-76.

Mason, Phil, Ade Kearns, and Mark Livingston. ““Safe Going”: the influence of crime rates and perceived crime and safety on walking in deprived neighbourhoods.” Social science & medicine 91 (2013): 15-24.