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Changes to crime survey will redress balance by presenting young people seen as victims not offenders
Commenting on the Home Secretary’s announcement that the British Crime Survey (BCS) will include surveys of under-16s’ experiences of crime, Tim Bateman, Senior Youth Crime Policy Officer for Nacro, the crime reduction charity, said:
“This is a welcome decision and should go some way to redressing the balance between the public’s perception that young people are primarily offenders and the reality that they are subject to relatively high levels of victimisation.
“Because victimisation surveys have not generally included the under 16s, the public typically perceives offenders to be young people and victims to be older. By asking young people about their experiences of crime we expect to see a very different pattern emerge.
“Providing proper safeguards are in place to obtain parental consent and ensure younger children in particular understand what is being asked of them, we hope that children and young people will no longer only be viewed as offenders.”
ENDS
British crime survey, youth crime, young offenders, victims, Tim Bateman
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