Crime Statistics

Question 1

How the police choose to record crime statistics

Answer 1

There is an issue with the crimes that the police CHOOSE to record (57% of all crimes reported to police each year fail to show up in OCS).

Question 2

Pilkington - OCS not useful

Answer 2

Andy Pilkington argues that the OCS are only useful for telling us about the increased reporting of certain crimes rather than increases in the crimes themselves; victims of domestic abuse may not report due to feelings of fear or that it is a private issue.

Question 3

Maguire - increase in statistics

Answer 3

Maguire (2002) has pointed out that since the 1970s there has been a huge increase in the statistics and information gathered about crime, before it was just OCS.

Question 4

Garland - government’s ability (or lack of) to handle crimes

Answer 4

Garland (2001) argues that increased statistics has not just occurred due to a desire for more information - we are, in late modern times, becoming more uncertain of the government’s ability to handle crime rates.