Lack of trust in authorities and fear of being a ‘snitch’ stopping Croydon youth from reporting crimes

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

Young people in Croydon are scared of reporting crimes for fear of being labelled a “snitch”, a new report has revealed.

Hundreds of people up to the age of 25 were surveyed to get an understanding how to improve their safety in the borough.

The findings are published in a new community safety strategy put together by the Croydon Safer Neighbourhood Partnership.

The partnership is made up of public bodies – including the council, police and health services. Its survey was completed by around 450 young people.

A third of those surveyed had experienced or seen crime while a sixth said they felt a “bit unsafe” where they lived because of knife crime, violence and gangs.

The report said larger district centres including West Croydon and Thornton Heath were most frequently mentioned as areas they would avoid.

The strategy said: “The top five reasons why young people committed violent crime were given as peer pressure, to fit in, family issues, money and mental health issues. Undetected crimes included knife carrying, drug dealing, child neglect, grooming and domestic violence.

“However, a third of respondents would not report an incident, mainly for fear of being seen as a ‘snitch’ and because of a lack of trust in the authorities.”

The partnership also surveyed more than 1,000 women and girls living in Croydon. Half of those asked said they feel unsafe where they live mainly due to fear of harassment, sexual assault and robbery.

Like young people, many of women and girls also said they wouldn’t report a crime.

The report said: “A fifth of respondents would not report an incident, mainly because it was a long process or for fear of reprisals, or of not being believed, and because of a lack of trust in the authorities.”

Pictured top: Croydon Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon (Picture: Tara O’Connor)