UK: Crime does pay, say teens
The old adage ‘crime doesn’t pay’ no longer rings true for the nation’s teens, according to a new study out today.
New research into young people’s experiences of crime reveals that more than half think that crime does in fact pay - despite four in five being worried about becoming a victim of crime themselves.
Norwich Union’s The Youth Insight Report shows that for many, the material benefits of crime outweigh the prospect of the consequences – even if it means time behind bars.
And while the Government steps up its attempts to tackle youth crime, prison is still seen by teenagers as the most effective deterrent to crime. Fines, community service and parental pressure were believed to offer minimal deterrence.
The study of young people aged between 13 and 19 reveals that over a third accept that crime is part of their society and 40 per cent admit to knowing someone who has committed a crime. And this figure doubles to 80 per cent in socially deprived parts of Britain.
Gun crime, drug dealing and assault were considered the most serious offences, whilst vandalism, shoplifting and mobile phone theft were seen as the least severe.
Norwich Union’s ‘Youth Insight’ report also reveals:
- While it’s common place to hear older generations bemoaning the growing rise in crime, 85 per cent of teenagers also believe that crime is getting worse
- Peer pressure is seen as the most common reason for young people turning to crime (41 per cent), followed closely by boredom (35 per cent)
- Young people believe the police should be most active in reducing crime in their area (37 per cent) and a quarter believe that they themselves play a key role in reducing crime
- Crime is felt to be a lifestyle choice for one in five young people from socially deprived areas and 94 per cent of these teens have been victims or know victims of crime
- When asked who they most respected, the majority of young people (64 per cent) named their parents. A quarter also consider their parents to be their role models
Whilst young people maintain respect for their parents, the research highlighted the widening gulf between young and old. Almost eight in ten felt that older people were out of touch with the younger generation. According to the majority of teenagers, adults are out of touch with young people once they reach 40. And one in ten felt that anyone over the age of 20 was out of touch.
Despite the prevalence of a supposed ‘gang culture’, 85 per cent of young people questioned dismissed the idea that they belonged to a gang, but simply claimed they had a group of friends.
The Youth Insight Report is a result of Norwich Union’s partnership with the national crime reduction organisation, Crime Concern. The partnership has been responsible for launching the Norwich Union Apprenticeship Scheme, which has been set up to tackle crime at a grassroots level.
Three apprentices have recently been appointed in Chester, Birmingham and London. They are working with experienced Crime Concern managers to implement crime reduction and drug education programmes in low-income areas of the cities.
A key part of the apprentice brief is to work with young people to combat some of the frustrations and pressures that can lead to crime. They will also act as a voice for teenagers within the local community to ensure their concerns and recommendations are heard and acted upon.
By training local people to become neighbourhood apprentices within their own communities, the scheme empowers individuals to tackle crime in the areas that need it most.
Jill Willis, market development manager for Norwich Union Insurance, said: “Teenagers are often easy targets for people attempting to explain the rise in crime and often dismissed as the problem with society rather than seen as part of the solution.
“In funding the first of these Norwich Union apprentices, we will be responding directly to young people’s experiences and fears and giving them the opportunity and forum to become involved in crime prevention measures at a grass roots level.
“As our research has shown, it is no longer sufficient to solely rely on preventative measures to reduce crime. If teenagers are growing up believing that crime does pay, we need hands on approaches like the apprenticeship scheme to offer alternative ways of thinking about and tackling crime.”
Chris Dyer, programme manager from Crime Concern added: "Crime Concern is profoundly committed to getting young people, many of whom are at the core of the issue, to become problem solvers. Through the Norwich Union Apprenticeship Scheme we are able to target some areas most in need and expanding this initiative to include young people is a step forward in making these estates a safer place to live."
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Media contacts:
Charlotte Speedy or Matt Buchanan at
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Notes to editors:
- Norwich Union Insurance commissioned Brands & Issues to interview 510 young people throughout the UK aged between 13-19 in July 2003. A further 138 interviews were conducted with young people living in socially deprived areas in Chester, Hackney and Birmingham during August 2003.
- Norwich Union is the UK’s largest insurer with a market share of around 16 per cent and is more than 1.5 times the size of its nearest rival. It is also the largest personal lines insurer.
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- one in five households
- one in five motor vehicles
- more than 700,000 businesses
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