Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
The Types of Criminal Activity in Modern Britain (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
The Types of Criminal Activity in Modern Britain - Timeline & 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. |
Social and Legal Changes in Modern Britain
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 the rights of women
Civil rights activists campaigned for better treatment for people of different races, with disabilities and members of the LGBTQIA+ community
Legal changes
Governments have responded to these social changes by making legal changes
What legal changes were made to respond to social changes in Britain?
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
| 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: 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
How did crime change during the twentieth century?
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
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
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
This causes new problems in law enforcement
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 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
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 one feature of hate crimes in modern England
2 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).
Exam Tip
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
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