����ý

When a crime is committed there are negative effects or consequences. Depending on the type of crime committed, these effects can by physical, emotional or financial.

Video - What impact does crime have on society?

Watch this video to learn about the impact crime has on society.

Consequence of crime on individuals

For individuals and their families, a crime such as robbery can have a range of negative effects:

• Physical – injury directly from an assault. This may be short-term or long-term
• Emotional – upset, worry or mental stress resulting from experiencing crime. Sometimes people are completely changed and withdraw into their own home or they struggle to maintain good relationships with their family
• Financial – the loss of money, credit card or the need to pay for a replacement mobile, etc. Families may find they the main earner in the family can no longer work and this makes the family poorer

Consequence of crime on perpetrator

Crime also has negative effects on the perpetrator (or offender if caught) including:

• Feelings of shame or guilt
• Loss of employment or difficulty finding future employment
• Relationship difficulties with family and friends

Consequence of crime on communities

Communities which experience higher levels of crime can be adversely affected:

• people feel frightened inside or outside their own home
• property prices are affected
• homeowners can find it more difficult to sell their property
• home insurance premiums increase due to higher risk of claims being made
• new businesses may avoid the area
• existing businesses may close down due to crime such as repeated theft, vandalism or having too few customers

Consequence of crime on businesses

Crimes such as shoplifting and fraud cost businesses in the UK billions of pounds each year. These costs are passed on to shoppers and service users in the form of higher prices.

One report from the Scottish Retail Consortium and Scottish Grocers Federation, found that in 2021-22, shoplifting cost £90m in Scotland alone.

These business groups also reported that organised crime was behind some of the 28,619 shoplifting crimes of that year, with gangs targeting whole towns then moving on.

Cyber-crime

Increasingly, however, thieves are moving away from more traditional crimes such as robberies and are instead looking to use the internet to commit crime.

Cyber-crime mainly involves stealing highly confidential information. Access to this type of information can result in thieves stealing vast amounts of money. In 2022-23, an estimated 14,890 cyber-crimes were recorded by the police in Scotland. (Source: Scottish Government)

Certain UK companies such as banks, insurance companies and energy suppliers have recently been the victims of internet crime. Altogether, at least a third of all crime relating to business is connected to the internet.

To prevent cybercrime, the Scottish and UK governments have set up special internet crime units. Working alongside businesses, the Scottish Business Crime Centre aims to use the latest ICT security technology to catch internet thieves.

Consequence of crime on wider society

For wider society, all crimes come at a cost as the taxpayer must pay for the police to investigate a crime, the courts to prosecute offenders, and if found guilty, the offender to undertake a community sentence or go to prison. Crime also costs the fire and health services for example when dealing with deliberate fire raising or medical care after an assault.

Paying for crime

In the 2022-23, the Scottish Government allocated just under £4 billion for public order and safety, which was 3.6% of Scottish Government expenditure.