4B Crime : Material Likely to Encourage or Incite Crime or Lead to Disorder
- Material likely to encourage or incite crime or lead to disorder must not be included in programmes.
- This applies to all crime i.e. criminal law offences punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
- "Disorder" relates to the criminal offence of ‘civil disorder', but also more generic acts ".. that might lead to or provoke the commission of an offence".
- Whether material is "likely" to encourage or incite crime or lead to disorder will depend on a number of factors. Merely filming and broadcasting criminal activity will not generally, in itself, amount to encouragement or incitement to commit that offence. However, featuring criminal activity and presenting it in a way which arguably glorifies or glamorises it, or which fails to show the negative consequences i.e. for both victim or perpetrator, might well be problematic. Direct calls or deliberate provocation to viewers to commit crimes which are left unchallenged in the programme e.g. giving air time to a religious extremist actively calling for violent acts to be carried out against members of other faiths, would almost certainly be likely
to breach this rule and potentially the criminal law. - Where criminal activity is featured in programmes, it should normally be made clear that the activity in question is indeed criminal, if it is not obvious, in case some viewers mistakenly believe such behaviour is legal and, therefore, acceptable.
- In relation to certain types of crime featured in programmes, it may be appropriate to ensure that the negative consequences of the criminal activity are included (over and above the fact that it's an offence), if there is a risk that the activity might appear glamorous or problem free e.g. drug abuse.