Sunday Mirror Crime Poll

ComRes interviewed 2,032 British adults online between 18th and 19th June 2014. Data were weighted to be representative of all GB adults aged 18+. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

Date Published: 19 Jun 2014

Categories: Public and communities | Public Sector | Social | UK

Description

·         Three quarters of Brits (73%) say that they trust the police, while a quarter (24%) say that they do not.

·         There is a widespread perception that punishments for criminals are too soft: more than three quarters of the public (78%) say that people convicted of crimes are not punished enough.

·         This is perceived to be a product of modern Britain: four in five Brits say that punishments are softer now than they used to be (79%) and that criminals can get away with more than they used to (78%).

·         Despite this, the vast majority of Britons feel safe in their local neighbourhoods (90%).

·         More police on the streets (86%), longer prison sentences (72%) and more CCTV (72%) are perceived to be the most effective initiatives to reduce crime.

·         Among the public as a whole, drugs (51%) are perceived to be the largest cause of crime, followed by bad parenting (29%) and punishments not being strong enough (25%).

·         However, younger Britons are more likely to mention social factors such as poverty and unemployment.