Light Fingers In Middle England
By Faith Smith
The middle class in England and Wales should hang their heads in shame today. The British Journal of Criminology has released statistics showing that 61% of these 'reputable citizens' have taken part in a "crime of everyday life".
These crimes include inflating insurance claims, falsely claiming benefits, paying cash in hand and thus avoiding VAT, falsely claiming refunds and not disclosing faults in a second-hand sale.
Unfortunately, these 'criminals' don't run around wearing balaclavas with swag bags over their shoulders and thus are harder to spot than your everyday felon. But further research has found that the majority of Britons will in fact turn a blind eye to these shady practises or even find them acceptable.
The reason we are prepared to cheat and bend the rules is that we mistrust businesses, are sceptical of small print and rules and are threatened by market reforms. The research also found that the belief that 'everybody does it' has been fuelled by open reports of victimisation and successful offending.
And it turns out the Germans are even more tricky than us! A massive 70% of middle class Germans have offended - and more are considering it, after threats to state welfare provision have left them feeling disempowered.
The British government may have cut crime rates by 44% since 1995 but I wonder what adding 'crimes of everyday life' to their list would do to current statistics?
These crimes include inflating insurance claims, falsely claiming benefits, paying cash in hand and thus avoiding VAT, falsely claiming refunds and not disclosing faults in a second-hand sale.
Unfortunately, these 'criminals' don't run around wearing balaclavas with swag bags over their shoulders and thus are harder to spot than your everyday felon. But further research has found that the majority of Britons will in fact turn a blind eye to these shady practises or even find them acceptable.
The reason we are prepared to cheat and bend the rules is that we mistrust businesses, are sceptical of small print and rules and are threatened by market reforms. The research also found that the belief that 'everybody does it' has been fuelled by open reports of victimisation and successful offending.
And it turns out the Germans are even more tricky than us! A massive 70% of middle class Germans have offended - and more are considering it, after threats to state welfare provision have left them feeling disempowered.
The British government may have cut crime rates by 44% since 1995 but I wonder what adding 'crimes of everyday life' to their list would do to current statistics?
Image: Michal Zacharzewski
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