Violent crime costs £6.6bn a year

20 Apr 06
Violent crime costs the economy around £6.6bn per year, including £2.4bn to treat victims on the NHS, according to a study published on April 18.

21 April 2006

Violent crime costs the economy around £6.6bn per year, including £2.4bn to treat victims on the NHS, according to a study published on April 18.

The Institute for Public Policy Research also found that poor and unemployed people were twice as likely as others to be victims of crime. Its study, Crimeshare: the unequal impact of crime, said: 'Victims of crime took a total of 83 million days off work to recover from physical and psychological injuries, at a cost of more than £4.2bn to the economy and £2.4bn to the NHS.'

However, the central focus of the study is the impact of violent crime on the population – with repercussions falling disproportionately on people in economically deprived areas, who are more likely to be the victims of crime.

Additionally, people living in the poorest UK households are almost three times as likely to report a range of emotional effects following victimisation. Victims were 2.6 times as likely as non-victims to suffer from depression or anxiety and 1.8 times as likely to exhibit hostile behaviour five years after a crime.

Nick Pearce, IPPR director, said: 'Crime is a social justice issue. People living in poorer households have less choice about where they live, cannot afford to pay for expensive alarm systems or take taxis home in the evening. They are less able to control the risks they face and often have no option but to expose themselves to greater danger.'

He added: 'Repeat victimisation is particularly worrying because a series of incidents can have a much larger impact than would be predicted by just adding together the effects of several isolated experiences. Domestic violence is the most harmful crime of all.'

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