Silent Crime: I served as a vicar in deprived parts of Sheffield and know why people don't report crimes
The Rev Mark Smith has supported people who have been victims of crimes in some of Sheffield’s most deprived areas. As part of our Silent Crime campaign, he explains why it is sometimes not reported to the police.
As a retired vicar, I have worked in some of the toughest parts of Sheffield over the years.
And during that time, I have seen neighbourhoods where, despite what they have had to endure in terms of crime or anti-social behaviour, they have still not reported it.
I’ve worked and lived in several Sheffield parishes over the years. They have included Firth Park, Park Hill, and Wincobank, as well as parts of Rotherham.
My experience is that this is not a new problem that’s happened just this year. This has been something that has been going on throughout the 40 years that I have been working.
Victims of crime are emotionally vulnerable. Even if normally they would be able to cope with long waits on the phone or online to contact the police, trying to do it after they have fallen victim to crime is enormously stressful and adds to their distress.
Reporting of crime really needs to be replied to in less than five minutes - however some people never get through despite waiting for hours.
Slow response time results in unreported crime as victims need to manage their stress and can't cope with longer waits. Their urgent need for emotional support means they contact other people and give up on the police.
Over the years I have both experienced crime and offered support to others who have done so. I would always encourage victims to contact the police but confidence that the police will act on complaints promptly is very low and it is hard to encourage reporting.
Sometimes people don't want to go to the police, because they have to live in the same area as the perpetrators of the crimes.
Sometimes, the crime is constant, which is wearing.
I lived at Firth Park earlier in my career, and there was a particular gang at that time that scared the whole street. Some people sold their houses cheaply to get out. Eventually the perpertrators moved out, and after a period of intense crime, the problem stopped.
But I have seen first hand cases where people don’t report crime. There are several reasons.
Firstly, there is the fear of having to live near the perpetrators without being protected, particularly where the perpetrator is around and seems to feel free from any consequences.
Secondly, is where people just don’t think there is going to be any response.
Thirdly, is because people can find it so hard to get through to the police on the telephone. There is a need for a rapid, simple response, because people give up waiting for an answer to a call. And people need a response to explain that they have been heard.
For many reasons, some people are choosing to suffer in silence and not report incidents to the police, meaning perpetators are getting away with it.
It may be anti-social behaviour and incidents which people feel the police will be too busy to deal with, or it may be because of a fear of reprisals.
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