Broken Society? Crime

One of the recurring motifs for the Conservatives since the ascent of Cameron has been Britain's Broken Society - the theme that crime is rampant, social ties have vanished and immigration is running roughshod over what it is to be British. It is clever targetting of the base fears of our citizens, good politicking for an Opposition party short on ideas but big on ambition, and, combined with the negativity pouring unchecked for the media, is causing the very problems in society which it is claiming to identify.

We therefore want nothing to do with it as a Party. However, there are elements underlying some of the issues and fears which people have which do require action and which we can make positive changes to. I am going to try and explore some of these in a series of blogs, starting with crime. It is just thoughts on specific areas of each issue, but hopefully might provoke debate.

It is hard to not be influenced by the stories which we see reported in the media. The series of tragic murders in London and elsewhere have been hugely emotive. The thought that young people are being killed, often by accident or chance, is one that points strongly to serious problems within elements of our society. Glasgow may not have as many murders, but we have the joint highest incidence of knife crime in the world per head of population. London feels that it is in the midst of an epidemic of knife-related murders and other urban areas also fear the influence of knives in their communities. General public opinion reflects a fear of crime, particularly serious crime, even if the actual reality is that they are unlikely to come into contact with it. There is a widespread demonisation of young people, with the inevitable generational rift that follows on from this.

I believe that within this context, the Broken Windows theory of James Wilson and George Kelling deserves a serious look (available at http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/_atlantic_monthly-broken_windows.pdf). Essentially, their theory holds that fear of crime is often linked to a causal process, starting with issues as simple as windows in a building being broken. If the windows are not fixed, then an impression is created that breaking them will not lead to any repercussions, and more will be broken. Over time, this can lead on to other crime being more common, as an environment is created without social responsibility. Although it is not inevitable that serious crime will flourish, the perception of those living in the community (and indeed it can progress to the stage where there ceases to be a true community) will be that there are not boundaries or rules, with a resultant lowering in their own feelings of safety.

This is, for me, a fascinating concept, as it is really rooted in psychology and emotional effects - working on how people feel and think about where they live, work or commute. There is a benefit to increasing the feelings of safety that people have, even if it doesn't appear to be directly related to the realities on the ground. This is reflected in the insecure feelings which are reported in the UK just now - although most people do not come into contact with crime or disorderly behaviour, they feel insecure and worried that they will be affected by it.
One of the obvious measures which can be introduced in relation to this is putting police on the beat. Now, most studies have shown that foot patrols do not lead to a demonstrable reduction in the crime rate, and therefore they have been reduced in numbers. However, what they do do is increase the feeling of security in a community, and increase the connection and interaction between the police and the community. The Police Force exists to serve our communities, but nowadays it is very detached from those they serve. It is not to hark back to an idyllic past which never existed, but there is certainly a difference between having a Police Force which is only seen at moments of crisis and one which is a welcome and visible presence in a community. Community involvement on the behalf of the police has to be more than just visiting schools or directly responding to criminal behaviour when it has reached breaking point.

Tony Blair famously declared that the Labour Party would be tough on crime and on the causes of crime, but I think we have not followed through on this clearly enough. There still seems to be a feeling that law and order is a right wing issue, and that only conservatives discuss society and its ills. This is a failure on our part, and presents an open goal for the Conservatives. To highlight this, we can take the example of New York.

NY is one of the most Democratic cities in the US - Republicans are heavily outnumbered in terms of voters and representatives. However, the most successful Mayor of New York in recent years has been Rudy Giuliani. When he became Mayor in 1994, he took over the running of a city which was viewed as out of control and offputting to tourists and residents alike. But crucially, it was also felt that this was the inevitable result of urban decay and nothing could be done to change it. Giuliani took the Broken Windows theory as his inspirition and, combined with the introduction of Compstat which was an innovative new way of tracking statistics in the city, worked with NYPD to crack down on seemingly unimportant crimes, such as graffiti and squeegeemen (the guys who come and clean your windscreen at the traffic lights). He was mocked for this, but in line with the Broken Windows theory these actions started to demonstrate that there was now a different set of rules in play in New York. He then followed this up by restricting the presence of sex shops and cracking down on antisocial behaviour, with the result that New York had a bigger fall in the crime rate than the national average, and returned to its place as one of the preeminent tourist destinations in the world.

Critics have argued that the fall in the crime rate (particularly noticeable in the murder rate) was a reflection of wider national trends, however, the fact that NY managed to consistently beat that national average implies that there were also local dynamics making crucial improvements, especially in contrast to other comparable cities such as Los Angeles. But we as a Party do not seem to have taken those examples on board. Yes, Giuliani is a Republican, but we should be looking to build on success and to implement policies which have been proven to work. However, if Boris Johnson has half a brain (debatable I know!) and implements them in London with similar success, we could be viewing a significant period of Conservative Mayoralty.
Crime is a fear and a significant issue for the public, and we have to respond to this. The Party has to show that we are listening and also that we are learning from elsewhere - we are right not to make unsustainable 'promises' of specific numbers of new police like the SNP did, but we do need to commit to a well-supported police force, able to respond to communities in effective ways. The dispute over the pay for the police was a ridiculous mess which seriously harmed our credibility, and we need to accept the decision that was made by the panel. We need to restore respect for the force by ensuring that it is seen as part of the community, at the service of the community.

Conservatives talk about crime but only to stoke up fear in order to profit electorally. We need to return to Tony Blair's pledge and follow it through - it is possible to be of the left and still tough when dealing with criminal behaviour. We are the Party who believe in society, in contrast to Thatcher's legacy in the Conservative Party, but we do not demonstrate this if we do not listen and respond to the fears which society has.