Fear of Crime
9.34 In terms of fear of crime, the proportion of people expressing high levels of worry about each of the three measured components ( burglary, car crime and violent crime) was significantly lower in the South West than the average for England and Wales in 2006/07.
9.35 The 2006/07 BCS showed that younger people were significantly more likely than older people to have high levels of worry about violence and car crime (although there was little variation with age for worry about burglary), suggesting that the lower rates of fear of crime in the South West region may be related to the ageing population profile of the region as well as the rurality of the South West (since younger populations tend to be located in more urban areas).
9.36 Worry about crime varies also according to ethnic group with people from Black and Asian backgrounds more likely to be worried about crime than White people and those who have been victims of crime are also more likely to be worried about it. Together these factors suggest that fear of crime is likely to be higher in the region’s urban centres.
