Belfast among UK’s ‘most violent areas’
Belfast has ranked among the most violent areas in the UK, according to a new report.
The UK Peace Index has reviewed crime across the UK over the past decade and found that Greater London, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the most violent regions.
Glasgow, followed by London and Belfast are ranked as the least peaceful urban areas in the UK.
The report noted that while all police areas have a populations over a million, Belfast was the only exception with a population of less than half a million.
Produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the report defines peace as the absence of violence or fear of violence.
It noted that the shift from conflict to a power-sharing in NI “marked an important point in the changing patterns of violence”.
In 2001, there were 355 shootings and 349 explosions and attempted bombings along with 17 deaths from political violence. In 2011, the number of shootings dropped to 124, and only one security related death.
There was also a reduction in both the number of injuries and victims of paramilitary assault making it one of the lowest recorded years for crime since police records began in 1969.
The homicide rate in Northern Ireland is comparable to that of Australia or Sweden, while violent crime is higher than in England and Wales, but lower than in Scotland.
The report factored alcohol as a major contributor to crime in Northern Ireland, particularly in deprived areas. The proportion of arrests in which alcohol was involved is 44%.
Regionally, Belfast was followed by Foyle, Coleraine, Cookstown and Antrim as the least peaceful areas.
The most peaceful areas are Castlereagh, Ballymoney, Magherafelt, Armagh and Moyle.
The report says the UK as a whole has seen a “substantial and sustained” fall in violent crime over the last ten years.
The murder rate has halved since 2003, from 1.99 per 100,000 people to one per 100,000 with the violent crime rate falling from 1,255 to 933 per 100,000 people.
The UK homicide rate, at its lowest since 1978, is now roughly equivalent to that of the Western European average.
The report puts this trend down to changes in police practices, an ageing population, a decrease in alcohol consumption and a rise in wages.
However the UK violent crime rate remains significantly higher than the European average.
The report estimates the total cost of violence to the economy as £124bn a year.
Download UK Peace Index report
