This week, there's stories all over the papers that crime is up or down or back to front or whatever. These hot news stories are based on our most recent Crime Statistics. However, like the fodder of any good scoop, these crime stats are, quite frankly a pile of useless ballix. Seriously. For a nation that's so crazy in love with teh crime and how pervasive, dangerous and apocalyptic it is, you think we might be interested in exactly what the extent of the ... distraction, sorry I meant political platform *ahem*, sorry, did I say that out loud? To see what the extent of the problem is.
(explain yourself and stop trying to make jokes, woman)
Generally, headlines or news about crime statistics that we hear in the meeja are based on the Gardai's quarterly po-lice statistics. As in, their list of who reported what type of crime and the details of the crime event. However, unless reporting it is necessary for an insurance claim, or a chance (heh) that the Gardai might be able to do something about it, most people don't report crimes to the police. Of course, there's also the fear that they might incur the wrath of someone terrifying for reporting them, or may have felt it better to 'deal' with the perpetrator themselves. Seriously, no-one tells the fuzz. This is an international phenomenon and a well-researched and oft quoted criminological fact. The crime that doesn't get reported is known as the 'dark figure of crime'. The truer figure like. Hmmmm, what a kerfuffle, you say, should I never believe anything about crime again ever unless it's on CSI?
Slow down chum, there's news here.
There is a way to get a more accurate picture of who's doing what to whom. Back in the 70's, a bunch of Londoners, innit, got together and started conducting crime victimisation surveys. They went around from house to house and asked people about crimes that happened to them. They were quite shocked to discover that the five-oh (that's po-lice, foolz) didn't really have a bog what was going on. People really weren't telling them about crime, so they were only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Think of someone working in a bike shop who says 'there are 15 punctures a week in Dublin', because that's how many punctures they fix in a week. Their knowledge of punctures is about as accurate as the Gardai's of crime. Anyway, since those clever Londoners decided to get all grassroots on crime knowledge, these surveys have been refined in their method and put on statutory footing in many countries. They have generally proved to be a less than perfect but more effective means of catching a glimpse of rates and types of crime victimisation.
In Ireland, the Central Statistics Office conduct half-arsed crime victimisation surveys every couple of years and publish some facts that give us an idea about people getting stuff robbed on them or getting beaten up. Now, get this, my favourite teeeeeeeny weeeeeeeeny omission from these crime vic surveys?
THEY DON'T ASK ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEX CRIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL!!11 HOOKCAREZ ABOUT BIRDZ HAHA GUVIRMINT RULS GIRLS SUCK.
Seriously. They don't. I couldn't believe this. What does this say about the official perceptions of the seriousness of these crimes? You know what, despite not actually doing anything about it, the CSO state on their website that it's SO SERIOUS they can't even research it in case they bring up difficult shit for the people they ask. I respect this, I really do, asking people about sexual abuse, sexual violence and physical attacks in the home can be extremely difficult for the researchee, and very challenging for the researcher. You know what I don't respect? The fact that this is apparently a problem too insurmountable for the poxing CSO/Department of Justice/whoever to address. You know what, CSO? You should ask the Department of Justice for some of their millions of squillions of money they're wasting on fucking pointless Garda Reserves (see another post in the near future). You can then train up some understanding researchers to conduct the research in a *gasp* sensitive, caring and safe manner so we might *gasp* have an official figure on the extent of the rates of sexual and domestic violence in Ireland. What we might do with that information is another (probably grim and deflating) story altogether.
(explain yourself and stop trying to make jokes, woman)
Generally, headlines or news about crime statistics that we hear in the meeja are based on the Gardai's quarterly po-lice statistics. As in, their list of who reported what type of crime and the details of the crime event. However, unless reporting it is necessary for an insurance claim, or a chance (heh) that the Gardai might be able to do something about it, most people don't report crimes to the police. Of course, there's also the fear that they might incur the wrath of someone terrifying for reporting them, or may have felt it better to 'deal' with the perpetrator themselves. Seriously, no-one tells the fuzz. This is an international phenomenon and a well-researched and oft quoted criminological fact. The crime that doesn't get reported is known as the 'dark figure of crime'. The truer figure like. Hmmmm, what a kerfuffle, you say, should I never believe anything about crime again ever unless it's on CSI?
Slow down chum, there's news here.
There is a way to get a more accurate picture of who's doing what to whom. Back in the 70's, a bunch of Londoners, innit, got together and started conducting crime victimisation surveys. They went around from house to house and asked people about crimes that happened to them. They were quite shocked to discover that the five-oh (that's po-lice, foolz) didn't really have a bog what was going on. People really weren't telling them about crime, so they were only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Think of someone working in a bike shop who says 'there are 15 punctures a week in Dublin', because that's how many punctures they fix in a week. Their knowledge of punctures is about as accurate as the Gardai's of crime. Anyway, since those clever Londoners decided to get all grassroots on crime knowledge, these surveys have been refined in their method and put on statutory footing in many countries. They have generally proved to be a less than perfect but more effective means of catching a glimpse of rates and types of crime victimisation.
In Ireland, the Central Statistics Office conduct half-arsed crime victimisation surveys every couple of years and publish some facts that give us an idea about people getting stuff robbed on them or getting beaten up. Now, get this, my favourite teeeeeeeny weeeeeeeeny omission from these crime vic surveys?
THEY DON'T ASK ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR SEX CRIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL!!11 HOOKCAREZ ABOUT BIRDZ HAHA GUVIRMINT RULS GIRLS SUCK.
Seriously. They don't. I couldn't believe this. What does this say about the official perceptions of the seriousness of these crimes? You know what, despite not actually doing anything about it, the CSO state on their website that it's SO SERIOUS they can't even research it in case they bring up difficult shit for the people they ask. I respect this, I really do, asking people about sexual abuse, sexual violence and physical attacks in the home can be extremely difficult for the researchee, and very challenging for the researcher. You know what I don't respect? The fact that this is apparently a problem too insurmountable for the poxing CSO/Department of Justice/whoever to address. You know what, CSO? You should ask the Department of Justice for some of their millions of squillions of money they're wasting on fucking pointless Garda Reserves (see another post in the near future). You can then train up some understanding researchers to conduct the research in a *gasp* sensitive, caring and safe manner so we might *gasp* have an official figure on the extent of the rates of sexual and domestic violence in Ireland. What we might do with that information is another (probably grim and deflating) story altogether.
Posts
Crimes against capital count, crimes against the relatively powerless don't. Even to recognise the extent of the problem officially would create crisis, just like many aspects of society.
ReplyDeleteWoah! You've just brought up about six million things I intend to post about there. I'll definitely come back to corporate crime/crimes of powerful shitheads.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean that knowledge of the extent of sexual and domestic violence would cause a crisis? I don't mean to be a smartarse, but there already is a crisis for those who are being abused, attacked and assaulted. It's already a crisis like. I'd be cynical though that those unaffected by it would care enough for it to create any kind of crisis for them. We've had two pretty comprehensive national reports in the last 6 years. One on domestic violence, and one on sexual abuse and violence. Still, we fail to take more than the most basic 'here you go now shut up' measures to address this problem.
Lulz. And everything we hear about back in the State is all about how the UK is so much better than us at everything. I think it's just because our po-lice are so jealous that they can't put up cameras in public like you can in some places.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to find, recently, that the estimated amount of rape, abuse, and other violent crimes against women in Canada and elsewhere per capita was almost as high as here in the States. Although the rest of the violent crime was much lower ('cause us Americans are a bunch of violent misogynist fucks 'yo), men everywhere are still happy that they can beat and rape women, because they'll always be lower in society than them.
In conclusion, fuck the po-lice. No matter who they are or where they are from. Oh, and fuck men that exercise their priviledge in the most horrid ways possible. Most of all, fuck people that don't think that we matter.
I'm talking about the veneer of order that exists rather than the actual impact of personal crime on the victim.
ReplyDeleteIt would cause catastrophic political crisis without even considering reparation or long-term strategies to fix / prevent more of the same.
Can you imagine how different things would be if men (aka the overwhelming majority of people in charge of fighting crime/making laws regarding crime) were the primary victims of rape and domestic abuse?
ReplyDeleteDo you really think it would take so long for them to label the systematic rape of children, women, grandmothers, etc. in Sudan as a component of genocide? Or to take an actual stand on sexual criminals and for their victims at home? Hell, no.
I tell you one thing, and this may sound crass (and I'm not trying to demean the men who are victims of rape), but if it were a man's ass on the line, instead of an 8-year-old girl or a 25-year-old girl or a 67-year-old gal, you can bet laws would be very different.
I think we need to have more women in power who can give voices to these issues.
Karmagenic- gotcha. It's one of those big scary things I intend to address in the future. For the moment I'm sticking with giving out about the rape/domestic violence stuff.
ReplyDeleteJenn- America's legal system is like the ghost of christmas future for us. A 'how not to'. Unfortunately, we're too busy getting excited over prison expansion to notice! Wheee!
Anonymous- high five