The politicization of violent crime in the US ignores the numbers

Violent crime in the United States is down this year, but given the upcoming U.S. president election, it may be more useful to ignore that fact. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. voters believe that reducing crime should be one of the ruling government’s top priorities, and the issue is often ranked as one of their biggest concerns. So the latest trends — based on data from the FBI and the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association — should be very welcome news. But the fact that it is difficult to determine clear causes for the fall in violent crime means that, to some extent, the perception of crime is a more politically important barometer than the crime rate itself. Indeed, the political discourse and debate around violent crime ignores the numbers, which can be delicately used to support almost any thesis.

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