Measuring Crime

Question 1

What are the problems with the measuring crime and crime statistics?
Give at least one example.

Answer 1

At least one from:

• Not all crimes get reported so the statistics cannot be 100% accurate.
• Statistics can be manipulated - police may attend an incident but may not actually record the crime.

Question 2

Why might crime statistics be useful?

Give at least two examples.

Answer 2

At least two from:

• Comparisons with previous years can be created to highlight patterns and trends in crime.
• It allows police efficiency to be examined.
• They indicate areas that the police and resources should focus on.
• Provide the public and the media with information on patterns of crime.
• They provide a basis for theories and therefore crime reduction to be based on.
• They inform the law and policy making.
• They reveal police assumptions, stereotypes and bias.

Question 3

What are the four sources that crime statistics can be derived from?

Answer 3

• Police records
• Victim surveys
• Self-report studies
• Court and prison records

Question 4

Complete the sentence:

Postmodernists argue that ____ statistics are a social _____

Answer 4

• Crime

- Construction/construct

Question 5

Complete the sentences:
It is argued that crime _____ are much ____ than _____ suggest. They are seen as _____ in terms of ____ and reinforcing ________.

Answer 5

• Figures
• Higher
• Statistics
• Misleading
• Creating
• Stereotypes

Question 6

What does the 2007/08 British Crime Survey suggest?

Answer 6

• Around 58% of crimes are never reported to the police. These unreported crimes make up the dark figure of crime.

Question 7

Give at least three examples of the factors contributing to making crime rates look higher than they really are.

Answer 7

At least three from:
- Mass media: desire to create a moral panic and sensationalise the headlines.
- Changing counting roles: changing ways in how crime numbers are counted.
- More sophisticated police training equipment: looking at peoples social media pages for example to find out information on them.
Changing police attitudes and priorities: for example, if police are told to focus on reducing knife crime, people are likely to commit more knife crimes.
- Easier communications: ability to publicise a crime that has happened through platforms such as social media.
- Changing norms and public attitudes towards crime.
- Greater police presence.
- Growing privatisation of life.