In any society, crimes are always reported to the concerned authority to promote harmonious and peaceful co-existence. These authorities always advise the public to make the world a better place by eliminating the few people who do not follow the set rules. For a long time, the media has helped champion changes in the community by reporting crimes when required. However, in Ireland, crime reporting has gone up in what is described as a movement from under-reportage to over-reportage. This surge is due to oversimplification of information, ‘crime selling paper,’ and increased crime rates. The effects of the change include a rise in worrisome behaviors and modern technology.
Media houses have taken the initiative of oversimplifying information in the past decade. For example, the media has depicted domestic and sexual violence crimes to make them seem like they are frequently happening. Cullen et al. assert that the media offer simplistic, distorted, and inadequate information each time. Therefore, one may think that the report is on different crimes, but they are the same crimes but reported differently. New details on the same crime are reported each day, increasing the number of reports (2019, p.2). Sexual crime rates statistics are not officially recorded in Ireland, but the European level analysis reports a low level of violence accompanied by a high reporting rate. In this light, one can conclude that the media exaggerates the crimes committed hence the surge in numbers.
The rise in crime reports is because ‘crime sells papers’ in any world. Media houses are expected to be the champions of morals and help spread positivity in the communities. However, that is not the case, as they have favored shocking and unpleasant crime stories. Irrespective of the stories being exaggerated or happening at a high rate, there is no need to report each one. Big media houses have reverted from getting the pleasant and progressive information in the community to now solely relying on crimes to get their papers sold. It is a realization that these kinds of information appease people and can be used to entice others to view or buy their respective marketing tools. One main effect of this is creating a complex relationship between what happens and how the public perceives it (Rabbitte 2022, p. 4). It brings a lot of unnecessary sensitization, which is unpleasant.
An increase in actual crime rates has played a role in the rise in reports. In 2021, Fletcher reports that Fraud Offences increased by 111% from 2020 (2022, par.6). These offenses include investment fraud, romance fraud, account takeover fraud, and card not present fraud. There was a 71% increase in blackmail and extortion reports (2022, par.8). Further, the article indicates that such crimes had not been reported in the past ten years. A senior member of the Internet Security Europol’s Cyber Crime Centre says that the non-existence of these crimes was the absence of sophisticated technologies seen today. It is a time when cybercriminals are thriving, given the pandemic that forced many firms and institutions to work remotely. Criminals are taking advantage of a time when people are anxious, stressed, and under a lot of pressure (2022, par. 12). These crime rates cannot go unnoticed as they target the big firms in the country. At a critical economic time, any change in returns from big firms will raise eyebrows hence the constant reports. There has been an increase in sexual crimes in the area since 2015, but although it plateaued in 2020, the trend continued in 2021. There was a reported 10% increase in these crimes in November 2021 and a general 18% increase in 2021 compared to 2020. Furthermore, child pornography offenses rose during the same period (2022, par. 17). These are serious crimes that need to be reported as they affect society and call for change and awareness.
The impact of the increase in crime reporting is the rise in worrisome behaviors among the citizens. In a country that used to experience low crime rates, an increase makes people live a worrying life as they fear being mugged, having their property vandalized, or being attacked by a stranger. Older people, children, and women are the most concerned with this rise as they are the most vulnerable in the community. However, each age group has a case to be worried about; older men are concerned with a rise in property crimes, while the younger people are concerned about violent crimes. In general terms, the total population is worried about the quality of life due to the spike in crime rates (Butler and Cunningham 2019, p. 38). People with a victimization history are the most vulnerable as they tend to be panicky and dissatisfied with the crime levels. Again, the way the media houses report these crimes makes it much worse as they exaggerate the data given hence causing more tension. The frequency of the reports causes a serious alarm which increases stress levels that lower the quality of life for people. An increase in sexual offenses worries women and children as they are the most affected people. These worries promote skepticism among the potential victim to the authorities. It fosters a spirit of dissatisfaction and the feeling of lack of protection from the concerned bodies (Reddy 2022, 34). Therefore, concerned bodies should be attentive and alert to these crimes to reduce problematic behaviors among the citizens.
In crime prevention, people have taken the initiative of using modern technology such as cameras, alarms, and sensors. Most urban setups are now using these methods as they do not require the presence of an individual to prevent them. These measures have primarily been used in dealing with property and wildlife crimes. The same setup is being propagated in the rural area to reduce the crime in both structures. There has been an increase in purchasing cameras (CCTV), security lights, alarms, drones, and sensors. The emergence of these devices has led to the abandonment of the traditional safety methods, for example, the use of dogs. Rural parts of the country being characterized by crimes such as vandalism, theft, and violence make the use of modern technology the best option. For example, at a crime scene, an animal can be injured or killed quickly, but with technology, it takes time to vandalize to destroy the technological security measure (Aransiola and Ceccato 2020, 3). Therefore, as much as crime is a vice, it has led to realizing and implementation of new technologies in rural areas.
In conclusion, there has been an increase in media reporting of crime in Ireland. Some of these factors are due to the media, and some are due to real happenings. For example, the press will oversimplify one crime over a long period, a notion that makes one think these crimes are independent. It gives false information about the actual crime rates in the community and Ireland. Again, the media will always look for something that allows them to sell, which in most cases is crime stories. The media believes crime sells more than any other news hence the need to fish and report more crime news. On the other hand, there is an increase in crime rates, especially cyber crimes and sexual offenses. These coverages include the worrisome living lifestyle of the citizens and the use of modern technology to curb real crimes.
Reference List
Aransiola, T.J. and Ceccato, V., 2020. The role of modern technology in rural situational crime prevention: A review of the literature. Rural crime prevention, pp.58-72.
Butler, M. and Cunningham, P., 2019. Fear of Crime in Ireland and its Impact on Quality of Life.
Cullen, P., O’Brien, A. and Corcoran, M., 2019. Reporting on domestic violence in the Irish media: An exploratory study of journalists’ perceptions and practices. Media, Culture & Society, 41(6), pp.774-790.
Fletcher, L. (2020) ‘Increase in Reports of Cyber and Sexual Crimes in 2021’, RTE.
Rabbitte, E., 2012. Feeding Fear?: An Examination of the Representation of Crime News in Contemporary Irish Print Media. Dublin Institute of Technology [Online]. Web.
Reddy, J., 2022. The youth justice system in Ireland: a review (Revised 2022).