8. Serious violent crimes cause the most harm

There are a lot of different types of crime and researchers have tried to establish which cause the most harm for both victims and society.  

Of course, victims of violence and their families know the devastating impacts that violence can have. Violence can shatter lives and cause long-lasting trauma. But most people agree that violent crimes are the most harmful, whether they have been a victim of violence or not. Researchers have demonstrated this using a range of different methods, including asking people how much they would pay to avoid different crimes and examining the financial compensation granted by juries to victims of different crimes.

Researchers have also attempted to estimate the total cost of different crimes to society, including the mental and physical harm caused to victims, medical expenses, and costs to the state from police investigation, legal proceedings, incarceration and rehabilitation. Research from the Home Office estimated that the total economic cost of crimes against individuals in 2016 was approximately £50 billion. Violent crimes accounted for only one third of the number of these crimes but almost three-quarters of the total costs to society.

What does this mean for violence prevention?  

The Government, Police and Crime Commissioners, and other funders of crime prevention work should make preventing violence their top priority. If three quarters of the social costs of crime are caused by violence, then it follows that most crime prevention funding should be spent on preventing violence. Investing in violence prevention can prevent severe physical and emotional harm to victims. It’s what the public expects. It also makes good financial sense: preventing violence means we can spend less money on dealing with its consequences.  

Expert Insight – Emily – mum to Max, an exploited 15-year-old who has been involved in violent crime 

“Our son is adopted, from arriving as a three-year-old on a foster placement. His traumatic background means his behaviour has always been up and down. He is on the autistic spectrum, and we think he has ADHD too. 

“Things began to deteriorate when he was 12 or 13. He started carrying knives, going missing overnight, and getting into trouble with drug dealers. He has missed so much education, and we feel let down by the system. He started hanging out with a man who got him stealing mopeds. He has been in and out of custody and stolen his dad’s car. 

“The impact on the family has been awful. My husband and I have a strong relationship, but at times we’ve been at breaking point and if we weren’t so strong, we wouldn’t have survived it. My son had a drug debt and he and his sister were threatened with videos saying, ‘we know where you live’. Rightly or wrongly, we paid off the dealer because we couldn’t cope with the stress. 

“Initially, we had no help from support services and have had to seek it out. We are a normal stable loving family with strong values, and this can happen to anyone. My son is big and tall for his age, and the police treated him more like an adult. They even got him mixed up with a big drug dealer from London.  

“When my husband and I went to our first support meeting for families affected by child exploitation, I burst into tears. You’re with loads of parents who understand, and don’t judge you. Many have had it worse than us, but it’s so good to share and support – I can’t recommend it enough.”