What is most interesting for me is how we interpret the idea of a crime. For instance some stats taken from here
http://blogs.thisismoney.co.uk/2010/...racksuit.html:
Estimated cost of benefit fraud: £5.2 billion
Estimated saving of unclaimed benefit: £16 billion
Estimated cost of income tax and corporate tax evasion: £17 billion
Listening to all the rhetoric you'd think benefit fraud is far outweighing anything else which, in purely financial terms, it clearly isn't. But I suppose in terms of the political message and how far we can relate to or feel in some way personally affected by the crime benefit fraud will win every time. I mean it's much easier to feel 'robbed' by the 'sponger' up the road than a faceless corporation based on some offshore tax haven - especially with a copy of the Daily Mail in your hand.
And as for those benefits that go unclaimed well, who cares about that?
As for the OP question, 'will crime increase?' - I very much doubt it but I know where I'd like the govt to focus it's attention.