Crime rates between 1900 and 1955
Many factors make it difficult to be accurate about crime rates. However, there was an increase in crime from the late 1920s due to the economic A prolonged economic downturn, beginning after the Wall Street Crash, that affected the whole world. and then World War Two. After 1955, crime rose steeply.
Problems with crime statistics
Statistics about crime rates were recorded annually by the government after 1898. However, historians must treat the data cautiously, for the following reasons:
- Some crime was not reported officially. For example, in the past, some problems, particularly with young offenders, might have been dealt with informally without being recorded by the police.
- Some crime was reported more than it had been in the past. This was the case in instances of burglary, because insurance companies required reporting to the police in order for a claim to be made.
- Laws changed so that some offences were no longer crimes and new crimes emerged.
Crime rates between 1900 and 1955
Between 1900 and 1925, crime rates were relatively stable. They then increased in the late 1920s and 1930s, with the onset of economic problems and unemployment during the depression. The government was also dealing with many A situation when workers refuse to work - as an act of protest - often because of disagreements about pay or working conditions. and protests during this period.
When World War Two broke out in 1939, crime rates fell initially, then rose again during the A period when London was repeatedly bombed at night time during World War Two by Nazi Germany, from September 1940 to May 1941. in 1940. Criminals took advantage of the air raids to steal from people’s homes, shops and even people killed in the air raids. The war also brought The limited supply of food and materials during the War, shared equally among everyone. which led to the theft and illegal sale of goods on the Illegal trading in goods.
