Many people are afraid to leave their home because of their fear of crime. Some people believe that more action should be taken to prevent crime, but others feel that little can be done. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Over recent decades, there has been an increasing fear of

crime

in many countries.

Although

some think that there is little that can be done to reduce the levels of

crime

, I believe there are measures that can be implemented. Those that believe that nothing can be done hold

this

view for several reasons.

Firstly

, they think that a fear of

crime

is a state of mind perpetuated by the media.

For example

, we are constantly bombarded with negative news stories about

crime

and violence on our streets.

Thus

the belief is that whatever we do to reduce levels of

crime

, people will still be scared. Another belief is that

crime

is caused by wider structural issues in society that are too difficult to tackle,

such

as the growing income gap between the rich and the poor. Little

then

can be done about

this

issue in our capitalist societies.

However

, I feel that there are solutions that will ensure people feel safer outside their homes. Governments can increase the numbers of police in local communities and more ‘neighbourhood watch’ schemes should be encouraged, both of which increase safety and deter

crime

. The media should

also

be encouraged to present more positive stories in the news about how

crime

is being tackled rather than the focus on the negative. In terms of the structural issues, governments should attempt to tackle issues of poverty through better income distribution. To conclude, there is a widely held view that nothing can be done to prevent

crime

.

In contrast

to

this

opinion, I would argue that there are options available that would help prevent

crime

and

therefore

reduce the fear of

crime

.