Introduction
It is important to note that crime rates within a specific region and its index of inequality can have a strong reciprocal effect on each other, where one can propagate the rate of occurrence of another through intricate social mechanisms. The given assessment will primarily focus on the city of London and how the local degree of social inequality and cultural inequality impacts the general perception and experience of crime among people. Findings are indicative of the fact that social and cultural inequalities primarily affect minority groups and youth, where the mechanisms of action of the inequality are most impactful in regards to housing, employment, and education, which in turn, eliminate opportunities, support structures, and income for the vulnerable groups.
Crime and Its Perception in London
London is among the largest and most highly vibrant cities in the United Kingdom, but crime rates in the cities are a major problem, which is why it is of paramount importance to evaluate the current crime statistics before proceeding with its connection to social and cultural inequalities as well as crime perception and experience among the local people. The official sources indicate that for the past two years, the crime rate per 1000 people is equivalent to 180.87, and the most common criminal activities are violence against the person followed by theft followed by vehicle offenses (Metropolitan Police, 2021a).
In other words, one can observe that the highest rate of crimes is manifested in violent crimes, whereas the following top crimes are property crimes. The official data is also indicative of the fact that crime rates dropped throughout 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019, but the decrease can also be attributed to the changes implemented, where it is stated that “the nature of reporting and recorded crime has changed substantially since March 2020 due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), and this should be considered when comparing FY20/21 data to other datasets” (Metropolitan Police, 2021b, para. 1). Therefore, it is highly possible that actual crime rates did not change significantly in the last three years, but rather the reporting system did, which means that the criminal situation in London is not improving and potentially worsening.
The previous statement is mostly true due to recent reports on firearm seizures. It is stated that “A total of 450 firearms were seized in 2020/2021 compared to 366 recovered in the previous financial year. The upward trend is continuing with 98 firearms seized in the first quarter of this financial year compared to 92 for the same period the previous year” (Dunne, 2021, para. 3). In other words, crime rates, specifically in regards to firearm possession and stashing, are increasing, which can be reflective of the entirety of crime occurrences taking place in London.
Moreover, the press and public officials can be considered reliable representations of social the current social perception dynamics of crime in London. It is stated that “one of Britain’s most senior police chiefs has intervened in the debate about rising crime, saying social inequality is a cause that needs tackling and that those arrested and jailed tend to be people with less money and opportunity” (Dodd, 2018, para. 1).
In other words, there is a strong connection between perception and experience of crime and socio-cultural inequalities within the city (Atkinson and Millington, 2018). Subsequently, one might argue that this reciprocity between crimes and inequalities is due to the latter being the cause of the former, but the expert findings and insights indicate that the alternative. Patricia Gallan, Met chief, states that “I think we deal with the symptoms and the outcomes, but society at large has got to think about how we solve some of the other issues about what has been causing the crime in the first place. I don’t think children are born bad. I don’t believe that for one moment” (Dodd, 2018, para. 3). Therefore, it is evident that it is social and cultural inequalities that shape crime in the region and related perceptions as well as experience.
Social and Cultural Inequality in London
In order to develop and gain a deep understanding of the subject, it is critical to learn relevant and official data on social and cultural inequality manifestations in London. Key findings of the Runnymede Report state that “ethnic inequalities are persistent and widespread in London, particularly in employment and housing” (Elahi and Khan, 2016, p. 4). In other words, inequality in the city is rooted in both cultural and social structures since ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to these societal disadvantages. In the case of the experience of inequality, it is stated that “ethnic minorities experience disadvantage in employment in every borough in London” (Elahi and Khan, 2016, p. 4).
Therefore, the minority groups and communities are aware and have to deal with a high degree of inequality in the city in a number of areas of their lives. In addition, London city’s degree of inequality is more pronounced compared to other regions of England, which is indicated by the fact that education outcomes are improving for White British people, whereas the reverse trend can be observed among minority groups (Elahi and Khan, 2016, p. 4). In other words, most social and cultural barriers in the most critical aspects of an individual’s life are more prominent among ethnic minority community members.
Although the previous statements were focused on education and employment, similar trends are observable in the housing sector. It is stated that the most impacted groups in regards to employment and housing are the Black Caribbean, Black African, and Bangladeshi groups, where “around two in five Black African (40%) and Bangladeshi (36%) people live in overcrowded housing” (Elahi and Khan, 2016, p. 4). Therefore, the facts are clearly pointing towards the social inequalities having a tight connection with cultural factors, where ethnic minorities disproportionately experience a higher rate of inequality.
Moreover, there are larger elements of inequality, which go beyond ethnic and cultural factors. One such force is poverty, which heavily impacts more than one-quarter of the entirety of London’s population, where it is stated that “50% of London’s wealth is owned by the top 10%. The bottom 50% own only 5% of London’s wealth” (Trust for London, 2021, para. 4). Income and wealth inequalities are reflected in the fact that “almost 700,000 jobs in London (18%) pay below the London Living Wage,” and “the cost of housing is an important factor in London’s higher poverty rate” (Trust for London, 2021, para. 2).
Therefore, one can easily see how housing and employment impact a large portion of the city’s population, and these factors more severely affect minority groups. Social inequalities can also be found in age demographic differences, where it is stated that “more than a quarter of all young Londoners live in the most deprived areas of the capital. It also reveals that serious youth violence in the capital started rising” (Greater London Authority, 2019, para. 4). In other words, younger Londoners are more likely to commit crimes, such as knife crimes, due to their living conditions being poor and unwelcoming.
Inequality and Crime
The previous sections provided sufficient data and information in order to proceed with an assessment of how inequality can be a major catalyzer and driver of crime experience and perception, which are reflected in criminal activities rates. It is stated that “a map of increases in knife crime in 2018 follows closely boroughs with highest levels of deprivation. London is one of the most unequal cities in the developed world and there is a great deal of evidence that inequality, especially racialized inequalities, is associated with high violent crime” (Press Office, 2018, para. 5). Therefore, crime is not evenly distributed across the city of London but rather highly concentrated in heavily disadvantaged regions, and its effects, such as experience and perceptions, are strongest among youth and ethnic minorities.
It is important to note that the evidence supports the notion that it is inequality that causes crime. It is stated that unequal societies exhibit higher crime rates overall, and “this finding holds up in many different contexts when looked at via different methodologies and after controlling for other determinants of crime such as low income, unemployment, and teen birth rates” (The Equality Trust, 2019, para. 2). Social and cultural inequality shapes crime perception and experience through a wide range of mechanisms, where unequal “societies may lack the social capacity to prevent violence and create safe communities. Experiences of inferiority may make someone less inclined to behave in a socially desirable way.
This materializes as increased aggressive behavior and high crime rates” (The Equality Trust, 2019, para. 8). Therefore, one can observe that youth and minority groups are the most impacted by the inequality forces, especially in regards to housing, employment, and education, which means that the vulnerable groups have less income, more expenses, and fewer qualifications to utilize opportunities.
Being subjected to a highly hostile and deprived environment forces the disadvantaged groups to consider criminal activities as means for survival and sustenance, which incentives these groups to become criminals. The case of London is a prime example of how failing to provide social support structures and ladders as well as opportunities to vulnerable groups, such as youth and ethnic minorities, creates an environment where the only option left is crime.
Although policing social behavior is important to set a crime preventing and discouraging element, the lack of gateways from these areas in the form of opportunities and support creates a situation where law enforcement is a mere response to outcomes and symptoms rather than root causes (Atkinson and Millington, 2018). Housing, political economy, and governance are major solutions for the most problematic areas since these are able to impact how the vulnerable groups experience and perceive inequality, which in turn, reflect in crime rates.
Discussion
The sections mentioned above covered the current crime statistics in London, the groups affected by social and cultural inequalities, and the relationship and mechanisms of action between crime and inequalities. It is important to point out that social and cultural inequalities are most prominently reflected in sectors of housing, employment, and education, which in turn, affect the degree of opportunity, income, and expenses of disadvantaged groups (Atkinson and Millington, 2018). In other words, the described factors can be considered as the main causes of crime in a specific region, which, in this case, is London.
The problem can be approached in two ways, where one can either increase policing and severity of ramifications or eliminate and fix the root causes. The latter part is complex and problematic since it is a highly challenging task to complete, which is why most public authorities and government leaders opt out of the law enforcement strengthening, as was demonstrated in previous sections. However, stronger policing only works to a certain extent, where it has a ceiling and diminishing return in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The majority of significant improvements can only be made by designing a social system where vulnerable groups have access to support structures and more opportunities to escape the negative implications of poverty and discrimination.
The problem of the causes of crime as well as its experience and perception, both in general and its individual types, is one of the key problems in criminology, which is of great theoretical and practical importance. Without such a vision, it would be pointless to study not only this phenomenon but also the personality of criminals and the problems of crime prevention. Nowadays, it has become incomparably more relevant than ever in the past because there is an extreme aggravation of the socio-economic, and political situation in the city, there is a widespread crisis of inequality, and crime is reaching its critical point.
This is explained by the increased need of the population for protection from crime, and the need to identify and eliminate its new causes and conditions. After all, criminality is a consequence of the corresponding causes and conditions. It is necessary to fight not only with this consequence, that is, crime, but also with the causes that give rise to this phenomenon, and the conditions that contribute to its manifestation.
The reasons for a particular crime are, in most cases, personal in nature and are associated with some characteristics of the offender, where there is an intent of some form of gain. However, the formation of these features always occurs in a particular society under the direct influence of those negative factors and trends that are present in it. These negative phenomena are present both in the social environment in general and in the immediate environment of each individual person. The study of the factors that give rise to crime, as well as the study of the trends of this negative phenomenon, show that the basic, main determinants of crime are in the macro-environment.
It is here that there are those negative phenomena that give rise to many adverse factors, thereby contributing to the growth of crime, including among youth and ethnic minorities. These groups are the most dynamic and active part of society, and any changes in the macroenvironment, as a rule, have a powerful and direct impact on them. The macroenvironment includes socio-economic, political, organizational and administrative, cultural, legal, and ideological phenomena and processes that reflect the level of development of a given society, and its cultural maturity. It is evident how developed the economy is, how stable the legal system is, how high the educational and cultural level of the population of a given country is, and so low is the crime rate in it since the effect of the main causes and conditions of crime is weakened.
Another reason for selfish crime is material need, which is not a constant category, but changes over time at different stages of the development of society and the city. For example, what until recently belonged to objects that only fairly wealthy people could afford, at present, might be a necessary component of the existence of an average person. The motive of social justice is the central link in defining the subjective side of crimes that encroach on a person, whose behavior by persons aimed at identifying and eliminating social injustice is assessed as a threat to society, requiring, in their opinion, unjust suppression.
The social injustice they notice, which lies in the very fact of such a threat, is reinforced by the assessment as an unfair reaction of the state and society to such threatening behavior. The elimination of injustice, declared by communities oriented towards achieving social justice, is usually achieved by analogous, antisocial means, which mostly represent deliberate crimes against the individual.
Conclusion
In conclusion, social and cultural inequalities affect mainly youth and ethnic minority groups, where they are deprived of housing, employment, and education opportunities with no social support structures or networks, which impacts their income and environment. Therefore, the vulnerable groups are more likely to live in poverty and hostile environments, which leaves crime as the only solution for survival. In other words, crime experience and perception are directly affected by social and cultural inequalities, which is especially prominent in the city of London.
Reference List
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Dunne, J. (2021) ‘Police seize record number of guns in raids across London’, Evening & Standard. Web.
Elahi, F., and Khan, O. (2016) Ethnic inequalities in London. Web.
Greater London Authority. (2019) Revealed: full links between poverty and violent crime in London. Web.
Metropolitan Police. (2021a) Offences and detection. Web.
Metropolitan Police. (2021b) MPS FY 2020/21 crime statistics. Web.
Press Office. (2018) ‘Inequality must be tackled to stop London crime surge’, University of Kent. Web.
The Equality Trust. (2019) Crime. Web.
Trust for London. (2021) London’s poverty profile. Web.