11:29am Saturday 6th September 2008
By Jon Cheetham
Do you feel safe when you walk out of your front door?
If the answer is no, is it because of what you can see in the street? Or because of what you see and read in the media?
Stories in the News Shopper this week show just how seriously police and politicians take the public perception of crime.
At the launch of online crime maps this week Met Deputy Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson said he hoped the information about what crimes have been committed in a particular area would help to reassure the public.
Sir Paul took the opportunity to note that "Londoners' perception of crime is higher than the reality".
An interesting comment on the story, posted by Excalibur, suggested that the same spirit of openness and accountability is applied to the judiciary.
By publishing each magistrate's sentencing record, the public could see who was responsible for releasing criminals back into the community to commit further offences.
Because when a criminal is released back into the community and reoffends, the feeling of public safety is further undermined, argued Excalibur.
Earlier in the week research by the personal safety charity, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, based on figures from the Home Office, named Lewisham as the tenth most dangerous place to live in the country.
The report - which found that 33 out of 1000 people were victims of violence crime in the 2007/08 financial year - also ranked the borough as the fourth most dangerous in London.
Comments posted on the story suggested that suspicion about statistics is fairly widespread - and isn't aroused only when the Met announces a fall in crime rates.
Only Edward from Catford joined Lewisham's Superintendent Lisa Cook in defence of the borough, when she called it a "vibrant, exciting and safe place to live, work and enjoy."
Even the Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, preferred to address his comment on the report to the public fear of crime.
By making the issue the public perception of crime and fear of crime - are the police and politicians are telling us that we are responsible?
Is the implication that if we weren't so afraid of crime - the problem would go away?
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