Heatwave: Is there more crime in hot weather?

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So there's lots of data linking rising crime to rising temperature - but why is this happening? Experts divide the reasons into two main categories:

• the physical effects of heat on people's responses
• a change in the opportunities available to commit crime

Heat is an irritant and the discomfort it causes might make people shorter tempered.

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Scientists have hypothesised that heat triggers a particular physiological response that makes people angrier and more impatient.

There are studies linking heat to lowered cognitive function, an increased heart rate, higher testosterone production and even a perception of time passing more slowly than normal.

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The second, perhaps more convincing, explanation is that changes in the weather also change people's opportunity to commit crime.

While violent crimes increase, other crimes actually appear to decrease when it's warmer. Looking at the Metropolitan Police statistics again, it seems there are about 20% fewer burglaries when temperatures are above 20C than when they are below 10C.

The same factors - more people being around and longer hours of daylight in the summer - which might drive violent crime serve as deterrents for burglary and street robbery.

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