Written by Noah Carl.
Why do some national and ethnic groups commit more crime than others? A popular theory among British politicians is that it’s due to lack of integration.
Addressing the unrest in Southport in 2024, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch argued that “we need a clearer strategy on integration”. Commenting on public disorder in Handsworth, former Tory MP Robert Jenrick said “it was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to”. He had a similar explanation for the Manchester synagogue attack, noting that the perpetrator “was clearly not integrated into our society”. Speaking in the House of Commons, Tory MP Chris Philp said “we have a problem with social cohesion and a lack of integration”, citing as evidence the fact that “there are some immigrant groups where levels of criminality are very high”.
The idea seems to be that groups that are culturally distant from mainstream British society tend to have higher crime rates, whereas groups that are culturally close tend to have lower crime rates. How might this work? There are several possible mechanisms. Perhaps culturally distant groups face discrimination in the labour market, which forces some of their members into a life of crime. Or perhaps culturally distant groups feel unwelcome in Britain, and some of their members start resenting the country.
While superficially plausible, the theory falls apart on closer scrutiny.