Are asylum seekers really responsible for a violent crime epidemic in the UK?

"A common theme was crystallised by the Daily Mail's Sarah Vine on Wednesday after two Afghan asylum seekers were jailed for raping a 15-year-old girl: For too long this country has ignored the reality of what happens when men from certain cultures are let loose in our liberal democracy. Increasingly, politicians express outrage too, not just at the offence itself but at the immigration status of the perpetrator. They repeat pledges to make it harder for people to enter the country illegally."

"Vine also wrote: I don't care if I'm accused of scaremongering, or worse. Facts are facts. But the difficult truth is that the evidence is complex and frequently absent from official data. It is true, for example, that Afghan nationals offend in the UK at a higher rate than British nationals but the difference has been exaggerated, and does not account for the difference in demographics between the two groups in the UK."

News coverage frequently highlights horrific sexual or violent crimes committed by asylum seekers or foreign nationals, prompting headlines that imply cultural propensities. Commentary and political outrage often focus on immigration status, leading to pledges to tighten illegal entry and claims sometimes supported by anecdote rather than robust statistics. Some analyses show higher offending rates among particular immigrant groups, such as Afghan nationals, but differences are often exaggerated and fail to account for demographic disparities. Comparable compilations of crimes by white British men exist but rarely receive ethnicity-focused coverage. Available evidence indicates victims are often likely to have a white male perpetrator due to population makeup.

Read at www.theguardian.com