Measuring Crime

Question 1

What are some means of measuring crime rates?

Answer 1

Police and criminal justice statistical records, large scale surveys (e.g Crime Survey for England & Wales) and small scale academic studies.

Question 2

What factors can distort the accuracy of the measured levels of crime at any given time?

Answer 2

Underreporting of crime by the public
Underreporting of crime by the police
Political interest
Intellectual bias

Question 3

What is a key reason why many overestimate the extent of crime and disorder?

Answer 3

People tend to base their judgements on the more obvious and visible. Innes (2014) refers to these as ‘signal crimes’.
For example, public drinking, rowdy behaviour, speeding, litter etc.
Once spotted this can lead to a heightened sense of awareness- a self-reinforcing and potentially harmful feedback loop.