Methods Of Collecting Crime Statistics Flashcards
What are official statistics usually used to do?
- Compare crime rates to previous years.
- Measure police efficiency in reducing crime.
- Show where the police should concentrate their resources.
- Provide the public with information on crime patterns.
What are crime statistics collected from?
1) Police recorded crime (PRC):
These are offences detected by or reported to the police and recorded by them.
2) Victim surveys:
These survey the victims of crime and therefore can uncover crime that is unreported or unrecorded.
—> An example is the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) which is a face to face survey in which residents in households are asked about their experiences of crime in the previous 12 months.
3) Self-report studies:
These are anonymous questionnaires in which people are asked to admit to committing crimes.
An example includes the Home Office’s ‘Offending, Crime and Justice Survey’ between 2003 and 2006.
4) Court and prison records, and records on police cautions:
These reveal some of the characteristics of offenders who have been caught.
What is the social construction of crime statistics?
There are questions over the validity of crime statistics in providing a true picture of the amount of crime and who commits crime.
This is because many offences are either not discovered, not reported to the police or not recorded by the police. This is referred to as the dark figure of crime.
How does unreported crime affect the social construction of crime statistics?
A large amount of crime is not even reported to the police. The CSEW suggests around 60% of the crimes it covers are never reported to the police.
The CSEW found the main reasons are because:
1) It was too trivial, or the police could not do anything.
2) It was a private matter they dealt with themselves.
3) It was inconvenient to report.
Other reasons can include the fact it was the victim’s own fault, fear of reprisals, fear of or a bad experience with the police and courts.
In some circumstances, such as white collar crime, crime may not be reported due to fear of harming the reputation of a company, e.g. fraud by a bank employee.
How does reported but unrecorded crime affect crime statistics?
The police may not record an offence that has been reported to them because:
1) They may regard the matter as too trivial.
2) It has already been resolved.
3) The person complaining may be seen as too unreliable.
4) They may not regard it as an offence.
How does changes in reporting and recording of crime affect crime statistics?
There are other factors that can cause some crimes to be reported or recorded more at certain times compared to previously:
1) The media: the media may exaggerate certain crimes which leads to more people reporting these crimes.
2) Changing police attitudes and priorities: the police may prioritise certain crimes at different times. This can make it seem that these crimes are on the increase.
3) Changing norms and attitudes: this may result in certain behaviours being seen as more criminal/deviant.
4) Changes in the law: this can lead to more things becoming illegal.
5) Higher policing levels: more crimes may be detected due to there being more police,
increased community policing and Neighbourhood watch schemes.
6) Changing counting rules: the classification of a crime may be changed to include more
or less actions than previously, e.g. the criteria for what is classified as a hate crime.
7) Police training and equipment: can lead to increased detection.
8) Better communication: mobile phones, text, email and police websites may make the
reporting of crime easier.
9) Consumerism: people have more consumer goods and insurance for these. Insurance
claims for theft or damage need a police crime number.
