CRIME VICTIMIZATION IN THE EIGHTIES - CHANGES IN AREA AND REGIONAL INEQUALITY

Analysis of British Crime Survey data confirmed that area differences in crime incidence are attributable to both differences in victim prev alence (number of victims per respondent) and differences in the conce ntration of victimization (number of victimizations per victim). The p aper extends the analysis to changes in victimization over time, compa ring the 1982 and 1988 British Crime Surveys. It was found that proper ty Grime had become more unequally distributed across parliamentary co nstituencies, the change being attributable more to changes in concent ration than to victim prevalence. The pattern was much less marked for personal crime. Changes in crime incidence varied greatly by region, though there was evidence of redistribution of victimization between N orthern and Southern regions. The analysis not only illustrates the im portance of diaggregating crime trends into indices of prevalence and concentration but also points to the possible relationship between sub -national crime trends and processes of economic and social regionaliz ation.