Crime Policy in an Era of Austerity
| Date | 01 June 2013 |
| Published date | 01 June 2013 |
| DOI | 10.1350/pojo.2013.86.2.617 |
| Author | Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay |
| Subject Matter | Article |
SIDDHARTHA BANDYOPADHYAY
Department of Economics, University of Birmingham
CRIME POLICY IN AN ERA OF
AUSTERITY
In this paper I review recent empirical work analysing the
determinants of crime. Improved detection rates consistently
lower crime while the relation between prison sentences and
crime is more complex. Short sentences are found to be
counterproductive. Socio-economic factors play an important
role but their sign and significance varies across crime types.
Given the police funding cuts, the paper suggests that there is a
need for rigorous efficiency studies so that less efficient forces
can learn from the practices of more efficient forces.
Keywords: crime policy, detection, sentencing, socio-
economic factors
Introduction
The analysis of the determinants of crime is always at the
forefront of public debate. While the need for effective crime-
fighting policies has always been of importance, a number of
factors make this a particularly appropriate time to review crime
policy. Recent cuts to police funding make it imperative that
money is spent efficiently, to get the most out of a tight budget.2
Further, there has been a sea change in the administration of
policing, with directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners
leading each police force area (with the exception of London
where the Mayor has an equivalent role) and being in charge of
the police budget. Finally, in spite of the fears associated both
with budget cuts and governance changes, crime rates are
actually falling and doing so amidst a recession, which has
puzzled social scientists.3It is thus imperative to review what the
evidence suggests on effective policing and offer suggestions on
how to improve police efficiency.
Broadly speaking, there are two schools of thought in this
debate. One school looks for the so-called root cause of crime
(the dominant academic view among criminologists at one time),
argues that social circumstances lead to criminal behaviour and
tends to dismiss policing as an effective crime-fighting tool,
while others have pushed for harsher penalties for crime and
neglected the socio-economic environment.
102 The Police Journal, Volume 86 (2013)
DOI: 10.1350/pojo.2013.86.2.617
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