**Tl;dr: Crimes, while tragic, are sadly the greatest incentive to policy and law makers to produce policies which ensure they will not occur again. As humans are more inclined to pay attention after witnessing tragedy unfold, not when it is just speculation.** In 1895 Emile Durkheim wrote ‘the only condition under which crime could cease must be one in which collective sentiments had reached an unprecedented intensity.’ [1] His theory argues that crime benefits society as the only way our social boundaries and social collectiveness can be reaffirmed is through crimes which remind us of these values. Certain crimes (as tragic as they may be) act as a way to ensure they do not happen again or on a greater scale. After the Grenfell Tower incident, a new policy was introduced in October 2019 which banned the use of combustible materials in the walls of buildings over 18 metres.[2] While not denying the incident was a devastating tragedy, the criminals involved in building Grenfell ensured another building regulation incident of such scale will not occur for a long time, if ever again. Crimes like these are necessary to reaffirm the importance of our policies (like safe building regulations and thorough checks). It is a sad reality that we face. The greatest way to get policy to change and law makers to listen, is via an example of a crime or tragic incident. Humans are more inclined to paying attention after seeing a tragedy unfold, not when it is mere speculation. It can be argued there should be more regulation in the first place to prevent any crime occurring at all. This would be ideal but is unrealistic. The reason for this is human beings are naïve. A great example is 9/11. We never had airport security before the horrific attack, presumably because nobody had ever thought something so tragic would occur. It is hard to imagine what sadistic individuals can do before they are done. Once the criminals commit these acts, we can work to combat them on a greater scale to ensure nobody is harmed in this way again. Again, demonstrating that policy makers would not produce protective measures for something that has never occurred before. Crime is not a good thing but is necessary if we are to prevent more people from being harmed. People only pay attention once the damage is already done. [1] R. E. Jones, ‘Emile Durkheim’ https://contentstore.cla.co.uk/EReader/Index?guid=6cdcc04a-61b5e61180c7005056af4099&pcid=1015287&t=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJqdGkiOiI4ZGUyMzMzNC1hZTRkLTQ4YmEtYjNhYi1jZTZlMGQ2N2ZhNmIiLCJuYmYiOjE2MTM1OTAzMzYsImV4cCI6MTYxMzU5MDYzNiwiaWF0IjoxNjEzNTkwMzM2LCJpc3MiOiJEQ1MiLCJhdWQiOiJSZWFkZXIifQ.GHb9ms_FgfolUWq3yMsRYttsYyC73Rb41Md22q9bxcU [2] https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0118d592-6aca-48e7-88ee-ea2e6ecfff38#:~:text=The%20new%20Approved%20Documents%20do,more%20introduced%20in%20October%202019.

**TL;DR: Many policy reactions to major crimes have become products of hysteria and caused significant harm.** The argument for this topic centers around the shock values of crimes. Without a doubt, these policy changes have consistently occurred after cases of crimes. The question then becomes whether these responses turned out productive. Past examples offered mixed outcomes. The 9/11 tragedy has had an enduring effect on the American psyche. Even 16 years after the original incident with no other major terrorist attacks, the vast majority of Americans considered chances of such attacks high. Many politicians and media figures exploited such fear for personal gains. However, this paranoia caused significant harm to Muslim Americans, as they bore unfair scrutiny in daily life. [1] The mass paranoia has also led to many problematic policies. The federal government used the excuse of security to invade people’s privacy and rights, with the Patriot Act chief among the effort. These efforts often have unconstitutional elements and represented significant assaults on civil liberties. [2] Overall, the story of post 9/11 policies contains more elements of traumatic overreaction than rational thinking. Similar examples exist in other countries. I do not deny the potential benefits of post-crime reflections. For me, the New Zealand reaction to the Christchurch shooting served as an excellent example of success. However, one should not automatically expect improvements after tragedies. [1]. Chang, Alvin. 2017. "Americans' Sustained Fear From 9/11 Has Turned Into Something More Dangerous". Vox, , 2017. https://www.vox.com/2016/9/9/12852226/fear-witches-terrorists. [2]. Bartosiewicz, Petra. 2012. "A Permanent War On Terror". Open Society Foundation. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/permanent-war-terror.

Crime itself has its benefits to society. More crimes can lead to increased awareness on particular issues, and more awareness can lead to social change that benefits society. If lawmakers are aware of society’s problems that generate crime in the first place, then we should hypothetically achieve a utopian society where everyone lives freely enough to never have to resort to crime for whatever reason. But just because crime can lead to positive social change does not mean crime itself is good. It means that crime is a bad thing that was preventable had policies such as universal income had been enacted. Crime, admittedly, is an inevitable aspect to society. That does not mean we should strive to deter it to the point it becomes almost non-existent. We should strive to prevent murders from being committed so that lives will be extended. I agree that we should ask ourselves the good things of everything that happens. Everything, no matter how terrible, has its benefits. Each moment is a cause for society to self-reflect as they move forward. But that does not mean we should be grateful for the negative events. Crime should act as a terrible warning for lawmakers if they do not enact legislation to prevent further crimes. Humanity has always been plagued with the tension between good and evil. At this point, it is an inevitable aspect to the human condition. But that does not mean we should give up when terrible things happen simply because it is inevitable.