GCSEHistoryEdexcelRevision NotesCrime & Punishment in Britain, c1000-Presentc1900-Present: Crime & Punishment in Modern BritainThe Types of Criminal Activity in Modern Britain

The Types of Criminal Activity in Modern Britain (Edexcel GCSE History)

Revision Note

Flashcards
Rosanna Killick

Expertise

History Content Creator

The Types of Criminal Activity in Modern Britain - Timeline

the-types-of-criminal-activity-in-modern-britain-timeline

The Types of Criminal Activity in Modern Britain - Summary

Modern British society is increasingly diverse. Shifting social attitudes have had a big impact on what constitutes crime. More laws are now in place to protect women, people of different races and other minorities. Some acts, like abortion and homosexuality, no longer count as crimes.

Tremendous technological advancements have had a huge impact on crime. Some crimes, including certain driving offences, are brand new. Improved transport has increased smuggling and drug crimes. The internet has made it possible for criminals to find new ways of committing old crimes, like theft. It has also made it easier for extremist ideas to spread. This is one contributing factor to the rise in terrorism.

Social changes

  • Throughout the twentieth century

    • Immigration into Britain greatly increased

      • This has made modern British society multicultural

    • The number of religious people declined

      • This has led to a change in people’s ideas and values

    • Movements for social change grew

      • Feminists campaigned for rights for women

      • Civil rights activists campaigned for better treatment for people of different races

        • People of different races

        • People with disabilities

        • Members of the LGBTQIA+ community

  • Governments have responded to these social changes by making legal changes

  • The table below outlines some of these important legal changes

Table of legal changes

Passing laws aiming to increase fairness and equality

Decriminalising certain acts

Hate crimes are motivated by prejudice and hostility to certain groups. They cover a range of crimes, including vandalism, assault and harassment. The most common have racist motives. More recently, there has been a rise in those with religious motives


New laws against domestic and sexual violence in marriages


 

Abortion used to be illegal in all cases (unless the mother might die if she continued with the pregnancy) 

The 1967 Abortion Act decriminalised abortion in cases where two independent doctors agreed on one of the following:
1. The child would have serious disabilities, or
2. The mother would be seriously mentally or physically harmed

The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act lowered the legal abortion limit from 28 to 24 weeks due to better scientific knowledge about embryos

The 1967 Sexual Offences Act decriminalised homosexuality for men over the age of 21. In 1994, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act lowered the age of consent from 21 to 18. In 2001, it was lowered again to 16 (the same age of consent as heterosexuals)

Change and Continuity in Modern Crime

  • Many crimes continued into the twentieth century

  • Changes in society have changed the way some of these crimes are committed

  • The table below highlights some examples of change and continuity in different categories of crime

Table of change and continuity in different categories of crime

Crimes against the person

Crimes against property

Crimes against authority

Domestic violence became a crime after women became more equal to men. Despite laws being passed to protect victims, only a minority of cases are reported. This is largely because many victims are isolated and vulnerable. Abusers often intimidate them into staying silent

Petty theft is still the most common type of crime

Terrorism remains a crime today. More people are at risk of it (although the risk is extremely low). This is partly due to advancements in weapons, transport and communications

Shoplifting is a form of theft. It has increased since the second half of the twentieth century. It has become easier and more tempting, as many shops now have goods on display

Treason remains a crime today. The last person to be tried for treason in the UK was William Joyce. He was executed in 1946 for broadcasting Nazi propaganda during the Second World War

Sexual offences increased in the later twentieth century. This is partly because more people became willing to report offences

Smuggling has increased dramatically. This is largely due to increased travel by air, land and sea. Huge amounts of legal substances, like alcohol and tobacco, are smuggled into the country daily. Many still see this as a ‘social’ crime, as smuggling provides people with much cheaper goods


 

Rioting remains a crime today. In August 2011, Met Police officers fatally shot Mark Duggan. This sparked riots across London and other English cities. Many rioters also commit arson, looting and vandalism (crimes against property)


 

Murder increased after 1900, though not as quickly as other crimes. Most murders are unplanned, taking place in the heat of the moment. Perpetrators usually know their victims and have never committed a serious offence before 

Crimes Against a Person: Race and Drug Crimes

Race crimes

  • Race crimes are categorised as hate crimes

  • The 1965 Race Relations Act banned

    • Public racial discrimination

    • Promoting racial hatred

  • The 1968 Race Relations Act made it illegal to refuse people the following on the grounds of their race:

    • Employment

    • Housing

    • Public services

Drug crimes

  • Drugs are classified according to how dangerous they are seen to be

  • The 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act made a number of drugs illegal for the first time

  • The criminalisation of drugs is controversial

    • Some people think it is important for certain drugs to be illegal, as this protects people from their harms

    • Others believe that drug-taking is a personal choice

crimes-linked-with-drug-crimes

A diagram demonstrating the links between drug crimes and other crimes

Crimes Against Property: Cybercrime and Driving Offences

Cybercrime

  • Most cybercrimes are new versions of old crimes:

    • Theft

      • The internet has made it easier for people to copy films and music

      • Governments, security services and corporations are vulnerable to hacking

    • Fraud

      • The internet has made it easier for criminals to hide their identity

      • This makes it more likely that people will fall for scams

    • Extortion

      • The internet contains a lot of personal information that is easy to access

      • Extortionists may threaten to expose this information unless their demands are met 

  • The scale at which these crimes can be committed is new

    • Thousands can be targeted at once

    • Perpetrators can be overseas

Driving offences

  • In 1900, very few people owned a car

  • As car ownership increased, the government passed new laws on driving

    • The 1930s saw the introduction of driving tests, road tax and insurance

  • Today

    • Car theft is one of the largest categories of crime

    • Driving offences take up a great deal of police time

    • The illustration below features some of the most common driving offences

IMAGE

An illustration featuring some of the most common driving offences

The Increase of Terrorism

  • In the past, terrorism mostly targeted authorities

    • The Gunpowder Plot is an early modern example of this type of terrorism

  • Nowadays, governments and ordinary people are vulnerable to terrorism

  • Extremism often influences terrorists

2000-terrorism-act

An illustration featuring the definition of terrorism in the 2000 Terrorism Act

  • Examples of terrorism in modern Britain include the following:

    • The Irish Republican Army (IRA)

      • Between the 1970s and 1990s

      • Loyalist and republican paramilitary groups carried out bomb attacks across Britain

      • The 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended most of the conflict in Northern Ireland

      • That said, there have been fatal attacks and violence since then

      • Terrorist groups linked to Northern Ireland remain a threat

    • AI Qaeda

      • 7th July 2005, during the morning rush hour

      • 4 Islamist suicide bombers targeted commuters in central London

      • 3 bombs went off on London Underground trains 

      • 1 bomb went off on a double-decker bus

      • 52 people were killed 

      • Around 770 were injured

    • The 2017 Manchester Arena bombing is another example of Islamist terror

    • Terrorist groups linked to Islamism remain a threat

Worked Example

Describe two features of hate crimes

4 marks

Answers: 

  • Hate crimes are those that target people based on their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity. (1) They are motivated by prejudice and hostility to certain groups (1)

  • Hate crimes cover a range of criminal acts. (1) Examples include vandalism, assault and harassment (1)

Exam Tip

Remember that hate crimes can include incidents where no physical damage has been done. For example, verbal abuse could count as a hate crime if motivated by prejudice and hostility to a certain group

You've read 0 of your 0 free revision notes

Get unlimited access

to absolutely everything:

  • Downloadable PDFs
  • Unlimited Revision Notes
  • Topic Questions
  • Past Papers
  • Model Answers
  • Videos (Maths and Science)

Join the 100,000+ Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

    FlashcardsNext topic

    Did this page help you?

    Rosanna Killick

    Author: Rosanna Killick

    After graduating from Oxford University with a BA in History, Rosanna became a full-time, qualified tutor. She has since amassed thousands of hours of tutoring experience, and has also spent the last few years creating content in the EdTech space. She believes that a nuanced understanding of the past can help to contextualise the present. She is passionate about creating clear, accessible content that helps students to identify and select the most relevant facts and concepts for writing focused, persuasive exam answers.