By the early 20th century many of the old industries on which Britain's industrial supremacy was based were in decline. During the depression of the 1930s they were hit hard: national unemployment in 1933 was 22%, but in parts of northern England, Scotland and Wales it was much higher. Some people hadn't had a job in twenty years. At the same time, new industries arose in new areas: electricity, radio, automobiles, household goods. There were therefore enormous contrasts in wealth and poverty between areas and between classes for much of the century. In search of work, people increasingly moved from one part of the country to another, making communities less stable and people more unknown to each other. The crime rate in early 20th century Britain was low, lower than in the early 19th century. Even the terrible poverty and unemployment of the 1930s seemed to lead to only a small increase in crime. Then, starting around 1960, crime figures seemed to rise dramatically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One explanation for this could be linked to a change in reported and unreported crimes – this is known as the “dark figure” This is the difference between the number of crimes committed and the number reported. The "dark figure" exists, but no one knows how big it is, nor whether it is changing. For example, in the 1970s there was a 100% increase in the number of reported burglaries, but only an 18% increase in the number of people who reported being robbed. It would appear that burglaries are increasing, but not as fast as the reported crime data. The “dark figure” appears to be shrinking as more crimes are reported: police encourage crime reporting; insurance claims make it necessary; more people have phones. Police reporting and action on crime reports are also now much more thorough. News reporting can also exaggerate the true extent of the crime. Newspapers like to report a crime and sensationalize it. One effect of this is fear: people are more afraid of crime, even when, in reality, they are no more at risk than in the past. Despite numerous changes in crime over the centuries, crime in Britain and Wales has actually been steadily declining for almost 20 years. There has been a long-term downward trend since the mid-1990s, reaching an all-time low in 2014, when crime rates reached their lowest level since 1981. Keep in mind: This is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay One reason for this may be advances in policing during the twentieth century, which saw the introduction of police cars, police radios, closed-circuit television (CCTV), the national police computer , Fingerprint Registry and of course DNA evidence. Fluctuations in the crime rate cannot be attributed to a single factor, but depend on a combination of various issues; Changing social and economic factors, the emerging impact of technology, and the highly underestimated fact that many cases often go unreported contribute.