Crime in England and Wales 2005—6: A summary of the main statistics
| Author | Julian Buchanan |
| Published date | 01 June 2007 |
| Date | 01 June 2007 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02645505070540020505 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
●Both the scope and definitions of the national statistics that are produced
need a radical overhaul. Significant groups of victims are not covered by
current surveys and certain major current crime category definitions are
confusing and misleading.
●Governance, management and organization of the police and Home
Office environments in which crime statistics are produced and reported
must be revised to provide the public with complete assurance of actual
and perceived independence and integrity of the statistics.
This independent report has the potential to bring about considerable changes in
the reporting of criminal justice information. While national crime statistics may
have exaggerated the risk of crime in many areas and possibly fuelled the fear of
crime, localized data will inevitably demonstrate how some communities are
considerably more at risk.
Crime Statistics: An Independent Review Carried out for the Secretary of State
for the Home Department, November 2006, 38 pp. Available from http://www.
homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/crime-statistics-independent-review-06.pdf
Dr Julian Buchanan
Social Inclusion Research Unit, University of Wales, NEWI
Crime in England and Wales 2005–6: A summary of the
main statistics
This report, produced jointly by the Home Office and the National Statistics Office,
provides a helpful and accessible report that outlines findings from both the BCS
and from statistical data from recorded crime. The material is well presented with
plenty of bullet points, use of colour, charts and graphs. As well as providing factual
data, the report passes some comment and analysis. Perhaps largely aimed at the
public, student or criminal justice professional, the report looks at: how crime is
measured in England and Wales; what crimes are included in the BCS and
recorded crime; how much crime there is; how crime is changing; what is happen-
ing to violent crime; whether crime varies across the country; who is most at risk
of crime; what people think about crime; and finally, anti-social behaviour.
Of interest, the report suggests: a significant drop in domestic burglary over
the previous year; a 44 per cent decrease in crime, according to the BCS, since
1995 (although this has not been reflected in violent crime which has largely
remained stable). During this same period, police-recorded crime has increased
due to increases in the amount of crime that the police are now expected to record.
The fear of violent crime has, according to the BCS, decreased since 1998.
Crime can be highly concentrated in particular areas. The national data may,
therefore, not reflect people’s experiences in their own community. Metropitan
Police areas have the highest rates for robbery. Significantly most at risk of violence
are men between the ages of 16 and 24 years, with 12.6 per cent experiencing
a violent crime in the previous year compared with a national average of 3.4 per
Probation Journal
184 54(2)
To continue reading
Request your trial