Dr. Gurchand Singh:

I will take a step back and talk about the fear of crime in general. I think the fear of crime is interesting in the sense that the people who are least likely to be victimised are most afraid. As one grows older, one is more likely to feel a higher level fear of crime. Conversely, the people who are most likely to be victimised seem to have the lowest fear of crime. The lowest fear of crime is among young men, but young men are the group most likely to be victimised.

One of the challenges is how we manage people's perceptions of crime, including the fear of crime. We do not want people to have a crippling fear of crime. We do not want older members of the community to be crippled by a fear of crime, since we know the probability of their becoming victims of crime is very low. At the same time, we want other people to take the proper precautions to stop themselves becoming victims of crime. It is not always a logical position. Why should it be, when we are dealing with people's concerns, perceptions and feelings?