Using the seminar case study material consider to what extent train crashes such as Hatfield, Paddington and Potters Bar should be seen as examples of White Collar crime.

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Using the seminar case study material consider to what extent train crashes such as Hatfield, Paddington and Potters Bar should be seen as examples of White Collar crime.

A white-collar crime refers to crimes committed by business people, entrepreneurs, professionals, or public officials. It was a term first coined by Edwin Sutherland who defined the term as “crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation” (Sutherland 1974) and was the first to bring attention to the matter. White-collar crimes are different then street crimes because they are through deception and not force or violence. There has been much debate as to what qualifies as a white-collar crime, the term today generally describes a variety of non-violent crimes usually committed in commercial situations for financial, organisational or personal gain. Many white-collar crimes are especially difficult to prosecute because the perpetrators are sophisticated criminals who have attempted to conceal their activities through a series of complex transactions. (Bologna 1984).  

For most individuals, white-collar crime is not viewed as a crime at all, because of its non-violent nature. Violent crime has an immediate and obvious impact on its victims, which raises the attention of the public, whereas white-collar crime frequently goes undetected or is viewed as a bending of the rules (Geis, 1982). White-collar crime; however, can have more of an impact than violent crimes. The victim of a violent crime can recover were as the victim of fraud for example can have endless impact.

Bribery, computer crime, abuse of power, false statements, fraud, obstruction of justice, racketeering and tax crimes are all white collar crimes. There are a number of characteristics of white collar crimes. Only some of these characteristics make the defining of whether something is criminal or not difficult. White collar crime is often open to endless discussion and debate.

Three case study materials of train crashes which took place at Hatfield, Paddington and Potters Bar will be analysed and explored in order to consider how far each of them should be seen as examples of white collar crime? In order to successfully answer this question, each individual crash will be explored to see what characteristics are evident which may have direct links to white collar crimes.

The Ladbroke Grove train crash occurred at 08.11 BST on Tuesday, 5 November. The crash near Paddington stations immediate cause was due to the train going through a red signal and having a collision with an oncoming train. Factors brought out in this case were that the driver did not have sufficient training and there was an evident communication barrier which resulted in the train going through the red light. This resulted in the death of thirty-one people including both drivers. Hundreds were also injured.

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The Potters Bar train crashes immediate cause was the result of the train tracks not being aligned correctly due to nuts and bolts being missing from the track, other parts were also in poor condition. In effect, this caused the points to fail catastrophically and the train to derail. This incident caused the loss of seven deaths.

The Hatfield train crash was a result of a track defect. A specific type of metal fatigue is thought to be the most likely cause. This caused the train track to disintegrate beneath the train. Four people were killed and more than thirty ...

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