Using crime data in academic research: issues of comparability and integrity
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-05-2015-0017 |
| Published date | 16 November 2015 |
| Date | 16 November 2015 |
| Pages | 228-247 |
| Author | Anika Ludwig,Mary Marshall |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Using crime data in academic
research: issues of comparability
and integrity
Anika Ludwig
Department of Geography, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
and Gwilym Gibbon Unit for Public Policy Research, Nufeld College,
Oxford University, Oxford, UK, and
Mary Marshall
Trends Business Research, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Abstract
Purpose – Research into crime is reliant on data that is recorded and published by criminal justice
agencies; data which is collected for other purposes. Considering the suitability of geocoded crime data
for academic research purposes, this paper will demonstrate the difculties faced regarding the
availability, integrity and reliability of readily accessible criminal justice data.
Design/methodology/approach – Data from two countries – England and Germany – were
considered and set in a wider European Union (EU) context. Using the data received from requests made
to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in England and openly published reports and data available
from Germany, the authors provide a contextual picture of the availability and operability of data
recorded by these agencies. Geocoded data that enable cross-national comparisons with respect to
immigration, ethnicity and crime are particularly hard to locate, and conducting research using data
(such as crime data) whose “integrity” is questionable in an academic environment becomes
increasingly problematic.
Findings – Analysing secondary data produced by a number of agencies are amplied due to the
different methods of collection, management, retention and dissemination. It was found that even within
England, the information provided by police forces varied greatly. Data in Germany were found to be
more openly available and published electronically by a number of different criminal justice agencies;
however, many of the issues apparent in English data regarding data integrity were also identied here.
Originality/value – The need for good record-keeping and information sharing practices has taken
on added signicance in today’s global environment. The better availability of comparable criminal
justice data has the potential to provide academics with increased opportunities to develop an evidence
base for policymaking.
Keywords Data management, Crime, Freedom of information, Comparability, Data availability,
Data integrity
Paper type Research paper
The authors would like to thank the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the
European Commission Directorate-General Home Affairs for funding this research. The views
expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not indicate agreement or
acceptance by the research fund provider. The European Commission is not responsible for any
use that may be made of the information contained therein. The authors would also like to thank
the reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions to improve the article.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
RMJ
25,3
228
Received 14 May 2015
Revised 5 August 2015
Accepted 26 August 2015
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.25 No. 3, 2015
pp.228-247
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-05-2015-0017
Introduction
Globally, the increased movement of people, as well as increased international trade of
goods and services, has also extended the opportunities for “cross-border” or
“transnational” crime. The pillars of the European Union (EU) grant citizens of these
member states the right of free movement to and within other member states. The
increased number of citizens enacting their right of free movement – as a result of EU
enlargement, along with the opening of intra-EU borders – has created opportunities for
the movement of people for legitimate and illegitimate purposes, enabling criminals to
travel easily, contributing to the development of a cross-border crime rhetoric (Kirby
and Penna, 2011). This issue has created a need for member states to co-operate with
each other, to exchange information and to consider the impact of this transnational
movement.
Research into crime is reliant on data that are recorded and published by criminal
justice agencies and on data which are recorded for other purposes. However, crime
statistics are a vital source of information for understanding and tackling criminal
events and making policy decisions both within and across nations (Bondt and
Vermeulen, 2010;Stamatel, 2009). Although far from the only source of information,
crime statistics help governments identify priorities, evaluate the effectiveness of past
policy initiatives and decide on the future allocation of resources (Lewis, 2012;Bondt,
2014).
Research utilising police data relies on the information being “trusted, acceptable,
useable and available” (College of Policing, 2013). Effective records management of
police data ensures that information is documented and maintained, without
compromising its evidential value or integrity. From creation through to disposal,
records must be managed, maintained and audited, so that they remain useful for
policing purposes (College of Policing, 2013). Academic research utilising police and
administrative data may be limited due to access and quality issues (e.g. missing,
incomplete or erroneous data), and differences in recording practices and data
availability is known to vary considerably between forces. However, police-recorded
crime data are extremely useful for improving our understanding of a range of crime-
and policing-related issues.
The measurement of crime is a necessity for any quantitative assessment of
criminological theory or policy change and can be particularly useful when comparing
criminal activity in two or more geographic areas (spatial units) (Andresen, 2006).
Counts of crime are one measure of criminal activity, often used in the spatial analysis
of crime. However, for these data to be contextual, a suitable rate needs to be calculated –
commonly reecting the volume of crime per population. Data relating to population are
often obtained using National Census data in countries that regularly carry out such
collection methods. Crime rates (crime per 1,000 population, for example) provide one
meaningful method of comparing cross-national crime data.
International comparisons have an important role to play in building understanding
of how individual criminal justice systems are functioning; facilitating improvements
(National Audit Ofce, 2012). The value of internationally comparable crime data has
been recognised for many years, with a United Nations (UN) Committee established in
1930, which focused on this issue and aimed to harmonise criminal statistics between
nations (UNODC, 2010). Comparative cross-national crime research has become more
important, as the movement of people has increased. Research reported here is a part of
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Crime data in
academic
research
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