Crime Figures - Statistics are what you make them!
21 January 2011 by Paul Rhoades
Interesting to note in today's Evening telegraph, their article on crime figures contains the following little nugget of disinformation...
"A survey conducted by North Lincs Council found that 88 per cent believed the crime rate had stayed the same or increased in the past two years when it had actually fallen."
This would suggest that people living in North Lincs are some what at odds with what they percieve to be happening locally with crime, and what is actually happening in the area according to official sources.
Or does it?
With statistics and government reports, it always depends who's survey you are going to read as to who you believe.
Clearly the Evening Telegraph have taken their results from the Home Office's "Recorded Crime" statistics which is based on offences investigated by the police.
At a time like this with all the cuts it's very politically sensitive so the Home Office are going to present the work of the police in as positive manner as possible.
What they should base their reports on however is the British Crime Survey, which according to the Crime Stoppers web site is more demonstrative of whats actually going on, as opposed to what's been reported, investigated and included in the statistics.
The Crime Stoppers web site argues "the BCS can provide a better reflection of the true extent of crime because it includes crimes that are not reported to the police."
Perhaps we would find that the council's crime survey matches the findings of the BCS as opposed to the actual investigated crimes as reported by the home office.
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Comments
many crimes such as theft are not reported as most people see the police as only being there to give them a crime number in case of Insurance claims being required.I have had personal experience of this with a house burglary, they weren't interested.As for the satellite stations what a waste of money they are,I had to report some criminal damage so I thought I'd drop into the local station ,Sheffield Park,you can't report a crime there the receptionist actually passed me the central crime phone number and I used her phone which she passed through the glass to ring it in.How can this be right?
Is it any wonder people are put off reporting crimes?
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