Public perception of drug-related anti-social behaviour in England and Wales has fallen slightly in the last year, according to a Home Office bulletin published today.
“Perceptions of anti-social behaviour: Findings from the 2007/08 British Crime Survey” shows that 26 per cent of respondents perceived problems with people using or dealing drugs in 2007/08, down one per cent from the previous year’s findings and five per cent from 2001/02 levels.
Around half (48%) of those who perceived problems with people dealing or using drugs had personally seen evidence of this in their local area.
The bulletin, which draws on data from this year's British Crime Survey, also highlights a link between deprivation and perceived levels of drug use and dealing. Half of those living in the ten per cent most deprived areas perceived problems with people using or dealing drugs (51%) compared with 15 per cent of those living in the least deprived areas.
In addition to drug use or dealing, the report gauges perceptions of six other 'strands' of anti-social behaviour - drunk and rowdy behaviour, vandalism and graffiti, rubbish or litter, noisy neighbours or house parties and the presence of abandoned or burnt out cars in local areas.
Other key findings from the bulletin show:
- The proportion of adults with a high level of perception of any anti-social behaviour (ASB) has fallen from 19 per cent in 2001/02 to 16 per cent in 2007/08. During this period five of the strands of ASB fell with the exception of perceptions of drunk or rowdy behaviour, which increased from 22% to 25%.
- Respondents who have been victims of crime in the last 12 months were twice as likely to perceive problems with vandalism or graffiti than those who had not been.
- The majority of incidents of ASB went unreported, with those who had experienced noisy or nuisance neighbours the most likely to complain to someone. 49 per cent of them had reported the problem compared to 23 per cent who had experienced drug use or dealing and 14 per cent who had experienced drunk or rowdy behaviour.
- Generally only a small proportion of people who complained about ASB felt that it had helped the situation in their area.
For more information, contact Andrew McNicoll at the DrugScope press office on 0207 520 7563 or email andrewm@drugscope.org.uk
