Monday, April 04, 2022
The public don't trust the government on law and order
According to the Guardian, it is not just the Metropolitan Police who are suffering a loss of public confidence and trust.
The paper says that Home Office documents reveal polling carried out for the government has found a high fear of crime, and low confidence much will be done about it. They add that the leak reveals the public are not convinced by a series of flagship initiatives by Boris Johnson’s administration on law on order, such as the Beating Crime plan:
Only one in three of those polled had faith it could tackle crime, its own document notes: “Current initiatives to tackle crime are not cutting through to the public – only around a third (35%) say they have confidence in the government’s handling of crime and justice, and awareness of the Beating Crime Plan is low.”
The document, called Home Office Violence Reduction Unit Communications Strategy, dates from March and contains polling from February.
Boris Johnson has trumpeted his anti-crime credentials but the government’s own polling, taken after weeks of furore over “partygate” and government untruths, shows the public were disbelieving.
Johnson has been keen to claim that under his government crime has been falling, falsely claiming in February that it had decreased by 14%. The statistics watchdog rebuked him, finding it had been presented the figures in a misleading way.
The Home office document says: “While crime isn’t necessarily the most ‘top-of-mind’ concern for the public, it’s a constant undercurrent and, when asked, people feel very strongly about it.
“Our most recent polling (conducted Feb 2022) shows that 61% think that crime is going up nationally, and 51% are worried about becoming a victim of crime.”
The document adds: “Perceptions of crime and levels of concern are largely driven by anecdotal experiences and high-profile media cases. At a national level, the public are particularly concerned about violent crime such as knife crime and people using/dealing drugs and can point to examples in their own lives or the news that back up these worries.”
The document shows the damage the Conservatives did to their reputation on law and order by slashing police numbers by 20,000. The cuts from 2010 continue to reverberate with voters. “Concerns are exacerbated by a perceived lack of deterrents (eg lack of police resources, inconsistent sentencing) for perpetrators of crime,” the document says.
It also notes a generational divide in how to tackle crime, with younger people more willing to tackle underlying causes of offending and give people a second chance, while older people back a more traditional approach of high sentences and prison:
The paper says that Home Office documents reveal polling carried out for the government has found a high fear of crime, and low confidence much will be done about it. They add that the leak reveals the public are not convinced by a series of flagship initiatives by Boris Johnson’s administration on law on order, such as the Beating Crime plan:
Only one in three of those polled had faith it could tackle crime, its own document notes: “Current initiatives to tackle crime are not cutting through to the public – only around a third (35%) say they have confidence in the government’s handling of crime and justice, and awareness of the Beating Crime Plan is low.”
The document, called Home Office Violence Reduction Unit Communications Strategy, dates from March and contains polling from February.
Boris Johnson has trumpeted his anti-crime credentials but the government’s own polling, taken after weeks of furore over “partygate” and government untruths, shows the public were disbelieving.
Johnson has been keen to claim that under his government crime has been falling, falsely claiming in February that it had decreased by 14%. The statistics watchdog rebuked him, finding it had been presented the figures in a misleading way.
The Home office document says: “While crime isn’t necessarily the most ‘top-of-mind’ concern for the public, it’s a constant undercurrent and, when asked, people feel very strongly about it.
“Our most recent polling (conducted Feb 2022) shows that 61% think that crime is going up nationally, and 51% are worried about becoming a victim of crime.”
The document adds: “Perceptions of crime and levels of concern are largely driven by anecdotal experiences and high-profile media cases. At a national level, the public are particularly concerned about violent crime such as knife crime and people using/dealing drugs and can point to examples in their own lives or the news that back up these worries.”
The document shows the damage the Conservatives did to their reputation on law and order by slashing police numbers by 20,000. The cuts from 2010 continue to reverberate with voters. “Concerns are exacerbated by a perceived lack of deterrents (eg lack of police resources, inconsistent sentencing) for perpetrators of crime,” the document says.
It also notes a generational divide in how to tackle crime, with younger people more willing to tackle underlying causes of offending and give people a second chance, while older people back a more traditional approach of high sentences and prison:
“However, there are some differences in opinion over the most appropriate approach to tackling crime, with younger groups tending to favour rehabilitation and older adults leaning towards a more punitive approach.”
Perhaps, instead of more public relations initiatives, the government should give the police the resources they need to do the job and put in place policies that will help to eradicate some of the causes of crime and anti-social behaviour.
Perhaps, instead of more public relations initiatives, the government should give the police the resources they need to do the job and put in place policies that will help to eradicate some of the causes of crime and anti-social behaviour.
