Study: Muggers commit crimes „for kicks”
LONDON - Street robbers often carry out their crimes for the thrill as much as for the financial gain, a report has said.
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The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) study interviewed 120 offenders in England and Wales. The report said previous attempts to explain violent street crime put too much focus on the desire for gain, and not enough on the aspect of ”pleasure”.
The report by Professor Trevor Bennett, director of the University of Glamorgan’s Centre for Criminology, and Dr Fiona Brookman, said both the amount and the severity of gratuitous violence used in street robbery was increasing in the UK. It was a „worrying social problem” that was poorly documented and understood, it said.
Some offenders found robbery to be a pleasurable activity in itself, interviewers found. „It weren’t even for money. I had money. It was more like the buzz you get from doing things”, one interviewee told them.
The report’s authors said part of the excitement for offenders came from overpowering and dominating the victim. „Anger and the desire to start a fight” was another motivation.
Cash made from crime was often spent on ”status-enhancing” items to boost the offender’s street credibility. „After we done a few armed robberies, I bought a brand new car. It’s like showing off, really”, said one interviewee. (RD)
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