The Media, Criminals and Safest for Burglary
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the cities with the highest risk for burglary, and those which were The media, criminals and safest for burglary. The company found that Leeds was the city where ‘criminal communities’ you are most likely to suffer a burglary (with a burglary rate 99 per Ian Marsh and Gaynor Melville consider cent above the national average), followed by Hull and Nottingham; the criminalisation of communities through with Edinburgh, Cardiff and Swindon negative media reporting. the least burglary prone cities. Other internet sites refer to crime rates in promoting or not a particular area – so in relation to house buying, for example, an American site, www. This short article looks at the the stereotype, perpetuated by the ezinearticles.com, highlights ‘signs of way that different communities media in films and books, persists. a bad neighbourhood’, including are represented in the media; Criminology as an academic, broken windows, graffiti, and and in particular the negative scientific discipline developed in the abandoned cars. It suggests that a representation of certain early twentieth century, and much of less obvious indication is whether TOPICAL ISSUES AND COMMENT communities as ‘criminal’. Indeed, early criminological theorising there are people walking around on before reading on you might focused on explaining why crime a warm evening or at weekends – consider which cities in the UK have occurred in urban areas and cities. suggesting that the area is likely to a positive media image and which And a concern about the effects of have little crime. Indeed, the negative; and what impact crime urban and city living on crime rates importance of visual images of crime plays in promoting those images. did not begin with criminologists; and crime control was the focus of many of the great early social the last edition of Criminal Justice In recent years, in particular, ‘local theorists and sociologists such as Matters (No. 78), with Keith leaders’ including politicians and Durkheim, Weber, and Tonnies wrote Hayward referring to the ‘comforting decision makers have emphasised about the changes to society and image of the bobby on the beat’. the importance of their cities or areas social relationships that resulted from In the UK, Liverpool is one of a having a positive, attractive image. It the transition of societies from rural, number of northern cities that is is believed that public image, which village-based ones to urbanised and portrayed in the media as crime- is largely spread via the different industrial ones. ridden, and is regularly the butt of forms of media, can and does have It was in the 1920s and 1930s jokes to that effect. Amongst others, major implications for their area – a that social scientists based at the Boris Johnson, the Conservative MP, positive image can work in terms of University of Chicago explored the was forced to apologise for making attracting business and money, new notion that modern, industrial, and unflattering comments about the city, residents and cultural developments; urban societies would bring with as was TV presenter Anne Robinson while a negative one can have the them greater social disorganisation for joking about ‘thieving Scousers’ reverse effect. Indeed a negative and a growth in social problems, on The Weakest Link game show. image is seen as an obstacle that will including crime. The approach and Writing in The Independent, work against a better future for the theorising of these sociologists Jonathon Brown (2006) commented city or area. While many different became known as the Chicago that the British national media has factors will influence the image of School. The notion of criminal areas, ‘written off the country’s second most an area, crime rate is one of the most then, is one which has been famous town as a shell-suited, hub- significant – a high crime rate, or developed by social theorists and cap-nicking “self pity city”’. He even the perception of an area as criminologists and so it is perhaps refers to the editor of the local paper, having a high crime rate, leads to not surprising that the media portray The Liverpool Echo, Alastair bad publicity and a negative effect certain cities, areas and Machray, commenting that Liverpool on the area. The American city of neighbourhoods in such a light. And gets a rough ride from the rest of the Chicago was heavily associated with these representations are accepted country; a combination of bad news gangland crime in the early years of and used by other bodies. Insurance and Liverpool is guaranteed to the twentieth century – infamous for companies, for instance, vary the generate special coverage and the exploits of Al Capone and others premiums they charge people for excitement in the London-based in the 1920s and 1930s. And even insuring against theft according to media: though the crime rate in Chicago was the area in which people live. As an one of the lowest among American example, the Endsleigh insurance Negative stories always get cities by the later years of the company analysed its claims data followed up by the nationals twentieth century, it is still generally covering tens of thousands of and all newspapers are guilty of perceived and referred to as a city of households across Britain and focusing on the negative. But… if crime and violence – in other words, published on its web page a list of something bad happens it makes 8 ©2010 Centre for Crime and Justice Studies 10.1080/09627250903569874 rCJM No 79.indd 8 01/03/2010 13:15:39 it a better story if it happens in small scale, rural-based areas are, in old girl who lived nearby… And Liverpool, rather than Leeds or contrast, represented as places where because the 65 year-old retired Colchester. That is bewildering. crime is unusual. Indeed, so much so gardener was sentenced three (Brown, 2006) that when crimes, and particularly months before the introduction serious crimes, occur in such areas, of the 1991 Criminal Justice Act In considering these ideas on the they tend to make bigger news than he cannot be made to conform to importance of the image of cities if they had occurred in more any supervision … He can come and towns, the success of and ‘expected’ places. Murders in rural and go as he likes from the house publicity around the book Crap areas or villages invariably attract he still owns. Towns (published in 2003) is worth comments about ‘sleepy villages considering briefly. While the title being shocked’ – both in terms of the In one of the most widely reported hardly suggests this is an academic media reporting and representation and harrowing of child murders source, it is important to bear in of real crime and fictional crime. in recent years, the abduction and mind that the role of the popular Starting with fictional portrayals, the murder of 10-year-olds Holly Wells media is probably more important popular television series Midsomer and Jessica Chapman in August in influencing public perceptions Murders (a series which has been 2002, the nature of the location of – and the popular media include running since 1997) plays on the fact the crime, the Cambridge village of books, as well as newspaper, that it reverses the stereotypical of Soham, was regularly commented on television and the internet. The idea English village life. Based on the by the media. The following extract is TOPICAL ISSUES AND COMMENT for Crap Towns came after Sam detective novels of Caroline Graham, from BBC News 24: Jordison wrote an article in The Idler and filmed in the English (a magazine for people who enjoy countryside, the programme On visiting Soham the first thing their leisure) criticising his home uncovers and probes the criminal that strikes you is how small it is town, Morecambe, for its ‘desolate’ undercurrents that lie beneath the … Soham feels sleepy, safe and promenades. This led to him being idyllic surface of village life in typically English … it’s the kind sent comments and opinions on Midsomer. Part of the programme’s of place where parents could let different towns from all over the attraction and certainly its surprise their children out unsupervised country, which he and his friend Dan element is that behind the peaceful without undue concern. (17 Kieran edited into the book (they had and picturesque facade of this December 2003) previously produced a book on Crap prosperous village all sorts of vices Jobs). They felt that everyone had and intrigues are afoot. Although such crimes are reacted either grown up in, or at least visited, In terms of the media reporting to with outrage and anger wherever a town they despised and the replies of real life crime, those crimes they occur, the fact that they from readers suggested they were which occur in rural areas are have occurred in rural areas or right. The sub-title of the book was typically described in relation to villages, with their sleepy, idealised The 50 Worst Places to Live in the the backdrop of their supposedly images, adds an extra, almost UK and the authors found that Hull peaceful environment. The following sensationalised, element to the came out at the top – one former headline from The Independent way that they are reported in the resident of Hull describing it as ‘a illustrates this tendency, ‘Typical media. n sad story of unemployment, teenage English village, except for the pregnancy, heroin addiction, crime, paedophile moving back home’ Ian Marsh is Principal Lecturer in Criminology violence and rampant self-neglect’. (24 August 1998). Below the and Gaynor Melville is Lecturer in The local media’s response to this headline the article continues, Criminology at Liverpool Hope University.