One in five 'would not report crime to police'

More than one in five people would refuse to contact the police and give their name to pass on information about a crime, according to a new survey. The number of people willing to go to the police varied according to the type of offence, but even for rape, sex assault on a child or and murder, nearly one in ten said they would be unwilling to get involved.

More than one in five people would refuse to contact the police and give their name to pass on information about a crime, according to a new survey. The number of people willing to go to the police varied according to the type of offence, but even for rape, sex assault on a child or and murder, nearly one in ten said they would be unwilling to get involved.

More than a fifth of the 1,000 adults questioned were willing to ignore drug dealing and 29 per cent would not inform the authorities if they had details of drug abuse. Three-quarters of people said they believed the United Kingdom had become a more dangerous place in the past ten years.

When asked about their willingness to report crime, 22 per cent say they would not go to the police. Among those aged 16 to 24, the figure rises to 47 per cent. Only 61 per cent of people said they would pass the information to the police and give their name.

The perception that Britain is a more dangerous place in which to live is most strongly held by the 55-plus age group (85 per cent). Of those aged 16 to 24, 60 per cent agree. Only 3 per cent think it has become safer.

When asked which crimes respondents feared most in their neighbourhoods, burglary (56 per cent) and car crime (35 per cent) came top, while 30 per cent were most concerned by threatening behaviour.

The research was commissioned by the Crimestoppers Trust charity (tel: 0800 555111).