Bright Lights, Big City: Rural vs Urban Crime

Zoë Sharp

I’ve just spent the last couple of days in Newcastle, partly for Noir @ The Bar at The Town Wall on Thursday evening, and partly to hang out with author friends at Newcastle Noir at the City Library.

It’s a while since I’ve spent time in a city as lively as Newcastle, particularly late in the evening. And the walk from The Town Wall after Noir @ The Bar (organised, as ever, by the vivacious—and blooming—Vic Watson) had ‘Crimewatch reconstruction’ written all over it.

I was staying down near the river. Fabulous views, although getting from there to the city centre involved a climb up the Castle Steps you practically needed a Sherpa to achieve.

Going back to my car in the deserted multi-storey car park meant climbing an echoing stairwell and emerging to find mine was the only vehicle left on that floor. Again, I found I was hyper-aware of my surroundings, of possible ambush points or places anyone might be lurking with unscrupulous intent.

I’m always wary about wandering around a city, alone, late at night. I try always to wear a pair of shoes I can walk in, never mind run. I don’t put my hands in my pockets. I avoid having people walking too closely behind me. And I try to exude confidence—a ‘mess with me and I’ll rip your arms off’ kind of vibe.

So far, that’s been working just fine.

Living in the wilds of the countryside, I often find myself walking from one place to another, alone, late at night, where the dangers are more of encountering a badger emerging from the hedgerow, or a low-swooping owl. Here, I try to make sure I replace my flashlight batteries on a regular basis and confess to pausing every now and again to check if the second set of footsteps I can hear is just the echo of my own or something more.

I wouldn’t generally say I feel safer in the country than I do in the city, although most people would assume that they are. The government crime statistics agree, but only to a certain extent. According to the figures for 2016/2017, violence against the person in the UK was 14.1 per 1000 population in predominantly rural areas, compared with 22.2 in predominantly urban areas.

For sexual offences, it was 1.7/1000 in rural, compared with 2.2/1000 in urban. For other recorded crime, such as robbery, domestic burglary, and vehicle offences, the gap was even wider—3.9/1000 rural to 8.5/1000 urban. And you need to take into account that rural crime includes farm/agricultural related crime, theft of/damage to plant vehicles, equipment or livestock, as well as wildlife-related crime—animal cruelty, poaching, badger baiting, killing or taking wild birds and damage of protected habitats.

On the other hand, perhaps surprisingly, living in the city could be considered safer overall. Risk of death in urban areas is lower than in rural ones, and the risk of death by injury in a rural area is quite a bit higher than in the city. Car crashes are the overall biggest killer. In the States, although gun crime is more prevalent in cities, the ages between country and city change. Adults between 20 and 44 have a lower risk of firearm-related death in the country, but children and the over-45s have a higher risk rate.

And a final statistic for you. Apparently, analysing the data has shown that senior citizens in the city are more likely to have a fall, while children living in the country are more likely to drown.

That little snippet alone has all kinds of potential for me in writing the follow-up to DANCING ON THE GRAVE, which is planned for the end of the year. It’s all grist to the crime writer’s mill.

This week’s Word of the Week is Nyctophobia, meaning fear of darkness. From the Greek nyctus, meaning darkness or night, and phobos, meaning deep fear or hatred.

May 9-12
CRIMEFEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION CONVENTION—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, Bristol
Friday, May 10, 13:40-14:30 Contemporary Issues: Reflecting How We Live Candy Denman, Paul Gitsham, Cara Hunter, Amanda Robson, Zoë Sharp (Participating Moderator)
Saturday, May 11, 11:20-12:10 Ten Year Stretch: The CrimeFest Short Story Anthology Peter Guttridge, Caro Ramsay, Zoë Sharp, Michael Stanley (Stan Trollip), Kate Ellis (Participating Moderator)
Sunday, May 12, 09:30-10:20 The Indie Alternative Beate Boeker, Stephen Collier, Barry Faulkner, Lynn Florkiewicz, Zoë Sharp (Participating Moderator)


June 7
Meet the Author—Thornton Library, Victoria Road East, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 3SZ
Friday, June 07, 10:30-11:30