NCJ Number
208978
Journal
International Review of Victimology Volume: 11 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2004 Pages: 313-332
Date Published
2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Using data from the 2001 Cornwall Business Crime Survey, this study explored the extent to which business people in rural England perceived crime and disorder to be a problem locally and the perceived impact on their businesses.
Abstract
Today, in England, there is widespread concern regarding crime against the business community, and that it constitutes a major problem warranting recognition and research. This study considered the extent to which business people are concerned about crime and variations in levels of concern. It addressed the question of how far anxiety over crime is a rational response to the specific context of the business, or whether it is influenced by other variables. The study used data from the 2001 Cornwall Business Crime Survey covering five broad areas: details of respondents and their businesses; victimizations; concerns about crime and disorder; attitudes towards tourism; and crime prevention. It appeared that levels of concern over crime and disorder varied according to the nature of the questions asked. A large majority of respondents felt that a number of crime and disorder problems were evident in the area where their businesses were situated, and that they were concerned about the impact of such problems on their businesses. Overall, there is no evidence that the anxieties expressed by business people are groundless. It seems that their experiences of crime elsewhere, the extent to which crime and disorder pose problems for businesses such as theirs, the extent of crime in the areas, and their perceptions of the area in which their business is located, combine with experiences of victimization to affect perceptions of crime in the area and concerns over its impact on business liability. References