Does dirty atmosphere boost crime?

AIR pollution could lead to an upsurge in crime, according to a study.

Many offences – including sexual harassment, shoplifting and assault – increased when levels were higher, it said.

For every ten-point rise in the Air Quality Index – in which a higher number denotes higher pollution – the crime rate rose 0.9 per cent. On the most polluted day in the study period of 2004-5, the index hit 103.6 and the crime rate rose by 8.4 per cent compared to the least polluted day when the index was 9.3.

The most serious crimes including murder and rape were unaffected, said Dr Sefi Roth, of the London School of Economics.

One factor could be rises in the stress hormone cortisol when people are exposed to higher pollution levels, said his report which used data from 1.8million crimes.