NI people unlikely to be victims of crime says survey

Most people in Northern Ireland thought that crime last year was uncommon in their area and that they were unlikely to be victims of crime, according to new survey results.

In a survey by the Northern Ireland Statistics And Research Agency (NISRA) local people also named speeding (32%) and burglary (14%) as the crimes they believed the police should devote most attention to in their area.

In the province as a whole, respondents wanted the police to devote time to tackling illegal drug abuse (33%), assaults (12%) and drinking and driving (11%).

The survey also revealed that around three quarters of respondents felt that the police were polite (73%) and helpful (69%) when dealing with ordinary policing problems.

Some of the other key findings of the survey included:

· Perceptions of the level of crime - Most people believed that crime was not common in their area. The majority of respondents thought burglary (73%), vandalism (71%) and car crime (68%) were uncommon locally.

· Perceptions of the police - Around seven in ten respondents felt that the police were polite (73%) and helpful (69%) when dealing with ordinary policing problems. Protestant respondents had more positive attitudes to the police than Catholic respondents, with 76% of Protestant respondents saying that the police in their area do a good job, compared with 57% of Catholic respondents.

· Responsibility for police complaints - Around half of respondents (51%) would contact their local police station if they wanted to complain about the way a police officer behaved towards them or someone they knew. Protestant respondents (62%) were more likely to use this method than Catholic respondents (41%)

· Composition of the police force - Just over half of respondents (54%) thought that there were too few Catholic members of the police force (73% of Catholic respondents and 42% of Protestant respondents). The corresponding figure for 2001 was 68% (85% of Catholic and 57% of Protestant respondents)

The survey, known as the Community Attitudes Survey, is commissioned by Government to provide an objective assessment of public perceptions and views on crime, law and order and policing issues.

More than 1,400 people were interviewed for the survey, which was conducted over a twelve-month period between January and December 2002.

(MB)