Crime and justice: the basics
Thursday 1 January 2004
Unfortunately, crime is a fact of life in today's society.
One growth area of crime is mobile phone theft. In London alone, nearly half of all street crime in 2002 involved a mobile phone.
Phone theft
The popularity of mobiles among young people has meant that they are now one of the biggest targets for mobile phone thieves. As a sign of how serious the problem is, in 2001, 48 per cent of mobile phone robbery victims were under 18 years old. The peak age for mobile phone theft offenders is 16 with over half of offenders being aged 15 or 16.
If your phone is stolen or lost, you can stop it from ever being used again. Call your mobile phone network or call 08701 123 123 to get your phone blocked across every network and help stop mobile crime.
There are plenty of ways that we can lessen the risk of our possessions being stolen. For advice on crime prevention, contact your local police station or click on our links.
If you're a victim of crime
Being a victim of a crime can be quite a traumatic experience. Over half of young victims do not report the crimes committed against them to the police and many do not even tell their parents.
If you have been a victim of a crime, you should report it to the police, so they will be able to tell the real level of crime in the area. By telling the police, the police will know to do something about it.
To report a crime, you can:
- Dial 999 only if it's an emergency.
- Visit your local police station or call them up on their non-emergency line, which will be listed with directory enquiries.
Some people get worried about contacting the police because they are concerned about what might happen if they are seen to be talking to the police. If you really want to remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers free on 0800 555 111. Staff at Crimestoppers will keep everything confidential and never ask for your name or personal details.
Getting support
With some types of crime, some people feel that they need to talk about what has happened to them. The police can help put people in touch with support organisations that help them cope with feelings such as shock, helplessness or even anger. One such organisation is Victim Support, which can be contacted on 0845 30 30 900 (charged at local rate) or via their web site. There are also many local Victim Support organisations that you can contact.
Victim Support also runs Witness Service, which provides people with emotional support in the run up to giving evidence in court. As well as help over the phone, staff from the Witness Service can also go to court with you.
For more information on what happens when you report a crime or for more details of support organisations, click on one of our links.
Crime is not purely an adult pastime. The reality is that young people do commit crimes and get involved in anti-social behaviour.
The causes of criminal activity among young people is complex, but there is a whole range of schemes and services out there designed to help young people move away from any negative influences they might be experiencing.
To find out more about the options available to you, no matter what situation you're in, take a look at our list of links.
