Crime and Incident Reporting Flashcards
HMICFRS
One example of failings in relation to crime recording can be found on the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services page, with an inspection by HMICFRS finding Lincolnshire Police to be ‘inadequate’ due to 18.8% of reported crimes going unrecorded.
Home Office Counting Rules
Home Office Counting Rules
HOCR is a policy document, published by the Home Office in consultation with the Police Service and other stakeholders, containing information about notifiable crimes. This document gets updated each year and consists of two parts; General Rules (A to J) and 13 different offence types. The HMICFRS website has all relevant documents regarding HOCR and can be used as a point of reference. The term “notifiable crime” relates to recordable offences that need to be notified to the Home Office. There are a number of non-notifiable offences, but these are generally very low-level offences which the Home Office have little interest in (e.g. littering and begging).
Recording of Incidents
All reports of incidents, whether from victims, witnesses or third parties, and whether crime related or not, will result in the registration of an incident report by police.
An incident is an event that has occurred which should be recorded but doesn’t breach criminal law. Whereas, a crime is a breach of criminal law.
A victim must be told when a decision is taken not to record a crime.
An incident will be recorded as a crime for ‘victim related offences’ if, on the balance of probability;
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the circumstances of the victim’s report amount to a crime defined by law and
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there is no credible evidence to the contrary immediately available. Credible Evidence to the Contrary is a matter of fact, capable of being reliably, and evidentially proven, not subjective opinion.
The Balance of Probability Test
The Balance of Probability Test
The Balance of Probability Test when considering whether there is credible evidence for an incident relates to;
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Is the incident more likely than not the result of a criminal act?
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A victim focused approach is the standard to be applied based on the presumption that the victim should be believed.
Offences Against the State.
Offences Against the State.
For ‘offences against the state’ the points to prove to evidence the offence must clearly be made out, before a crime is recorded. These might include:
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Harassment, alarm or distress. Public Order Act 1986 sec 5.
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Affray. Public Order Act 1986 sec 3.
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Possession of a firearm or imitation with intent to cause fear of violence - The Firearms Act 1968 sec 16A.
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Drugs offences.
