Government must deal with ‘signal issues’ if it is to win a third term

THERE is a concept in policing and justice called signal crimes. These are crimes which are interpreted by members of the public as warning signals about their level of security. The resonance of a signal crime in the immediate surroundings where it occurs or in the wider community means that such crimes have a particular impact on the public’s view of the police and of the criminal justice system.

Where they are high profile incidents, that resonance and impact is greater. Even though there may be only one victim of the crime, there are many who feel they may become a victim of a similar crime, irrespective of whether or not that fear is statistically justified.