Sunday 16 July 2000
- MORI Telephone Surveys interviewed 1,003 British adults aged 18+
- Interviews were conducted by telephone on 12-14 July 2000
- Results are based on all respondents unless stated
- Data are weighted to the known population profile
- An '*' indicates a finding of less than 0.5%, but greater than zero
- Poll conducted by MORI on behalf of The Mail on Sunday
Q1 To what extent are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way your area is policed?
| | % |
|---|
| Very satisfied | 6 |
| Fairly satisfied | 46 |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 13 |
| Fairly dissatisfied | 21 |
| Very dissatisfied | 12 |
| Don't know | 2 |
Q2 To what extent would you say your concern about crime has increased or decreased in the past few years?
| | % |
|---|
| Increased a lot | 44 |
| Increased a little | 27 |
| Stayed the same | 21 |
| Decreased a little | 5 |
| Decreased a lot | 2 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q3 Which political party do you think has the best policies on law and order?
| | All | Con voters | Lab voters | Lib Dem voters |
|---|
| | % | % | % | % |
|---|
| Conservative | 19 | 50 | 7 | 7 |
| Labour | 20 | 2 | 44 | 12 |
| Lib Dem | 4 | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| Welsh/Scot Nat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Green Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UK Independence Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Referendum Party | * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| None | 22 | 16 | 18 | 19 |
| Don't know | 31 | 27 | 25 | 38 |
Q4-6 I am going to read out a number of different statements about the police. For each, please tell me whether you agree or disagree.
| | Agree | Disagree | Don't know |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Q4 The police spend too much time on paperwork | 76 | 11 | 13 |
| Q5 The police spend too much time being politically correct | 50 | 35 | 15 |
| Q6 The police spend too much time prosecuting motorists | 58 | 33 | 9 |
Q7 I am going to read out a number of different types of crime.
Which, if any, of these crimes have you personally been a victim of in the last 12 months.
Q8 And which of these was the most recent?
Base: All who have experienced more than one crime (75)
| | Q7 | Q8 |
|---|
| | % | % |
|---|
| Burglary | 5 | 11 |
| Theft (including theft of car contents or possessions at work) | 14 | 30 |
| Stolen car | 4 | 9 |
| Mugging/Assault | 2 | 9 |
| Threatening or abusive behaviour | 13 | 34 |
| Other | 2 | 6 |
| None of these | 70 | |
Q9 And thinking about the most recent crime you experienced, did you report it to the police or not?
Base: All who have been a victim of crime (306)
| | % |
|---|
| Yes, reported to the police | 68 |
| No, did not report to the police | 32 |
| Don't know/cannot remember | 0 |
Q10 And why did you not report the crime to the police?
Base: All who did not report crime to the police (98)
| | % |
|---|
| Crime too trivial | 32 |
| Police would not do anything about it/much | 34 |
| Could not be bothered/Not worth the effort | 19 |
| Criminals would probably not get caught anyway | 6 |
| Don't want to cause trouble/fuss | 1 |
| Have reported other crimes and nothing was done | 4 |
| Plan to report crime in the near future | 0 |
| Crown Prosecution Service wouldn't do anything/much | 1 |
| Don't trust the police/don't like dealing with the police | 1 |
| Fear that the people who committed the crime might retaliate/might 'get back' at me | 3 |
| Don't know all the facts/don't know exactly what happened | 0 |
| Fear that other people in the neighbourhood might threaten/'get back' at me | 1 |
| None of my business | 1 |
| Other | 20 |
| Don't know/No reason | 4 |
Q11 As far as you know, did the Police catch the person responsible for the crime?
Base: All who have been a victim of crime (306)
| | % |
|---|
| Yes | 15 |
| No | 79 |
| Don't know/Can't remember | 6 |
Q12 How would you describe the punishment that person received?
Base: All who know Police caught the person responsible (47)
| | % |
|---|
| Too severe | 0 |
| About right | 24 |
| Or not severe enough | 33 |
| Wasn't punished | 27 |
| Don't know | 16 |
Q13 If you were a victim of violent crime, such as mugging or assault, how confident would you be that the police would catch the person responsible for the crime?
| | % |
|---|
| Very confident | 3 |
| Fairly confident | 29 |
| Not very confident | 46 |
| Not at all confident | 20 |
| Don't know | 2 |
Q14 I am going to read out some different suggestions for ways in which crime levels can be reduced in Britain.
Which two or three, if any, do you think would do most to reduce the level of crime in Britain?
| | % |
|---|
| More police on the beat | 54 |
| Introduce a national identity card | 31 |
| Fine parents for their children's offences | 27 |
| Speed up court proceedings | 27 |
| Tougher institutions for younger offenders | 25 |
| Capital punishment for murder | 25 |
| Make prison sentences longer | 18 |
| Genetic fingerprinting of all citizens | 17 |
| Improve the Crown Prosecution Service | 15 |
| Imprison more offenders | 6 |
| More vigilante groups | 1 |
| Other | 4 |
| None of these | 1 |
| Don't know | 2 |
Now I would like you to tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements.
Q15 Muggings, criminal damage and car thefts would decrease if the police had a stronger presence on the streets
| | % |
|---|
| Agree | 93 |
| Disagree | 5 |
| Don't know | 2 |
Q16 The law, as it stands at the moment, works to the advantage of the criminal and not victims
| | % |
|---|
| Agree | 71 |
| Disagree | 21 |
| Don't know | 8 |
Q17 Prison works:
the more prisons the better
| | % |
|---|
| Agree | 33 |
| Disagree | 56 |
| Don't know | 11 |
Q18 Sometimes vigilantism is the best way of sorting out criminals
(By vigilantism, I mean people who take the law into their own hands by threatening or retaliating against people they think have committed crimes)
| | % |
|---|
| Agree | 19 |
| Disagree | 77 |
| Don't know | 4 |
Q19 Who, if anyone, do you think is most to blame for the recent rise in crime?
| | % |
|---|
| The Police | 4 |
| The Courts | 2 |
| The Government | 15 |
| Parents | 15 |
| Young people | 7 |
| Television/The media | 3 |
| Schools | 2 |
| Other | 32 |
| Don't know | 20 |