Sources of Crime Data in England and Wales

Sources of Crime Data in England and Wales: Assignment Essay Writing

 One of the significant issues that have been rampant in the global arena is crime. A high percentage of individuals live in agony and fear and end up afraid to leave the in areas of residence.   In all parts of the world, the rate of crime has been increasing as days pass. There are individuals in our society, who do not work for the things they desire, and the only way to get them is by taking them from other people. Crime is considered as a deviation from the social norms and unacceptable globally. Crimes are divided into categories based on numerous considerations such as the severity of the offence, an offender’s age, and what type of punishment should the offender get (Schirach, 2012).

Sources of Data about Crime in England and Wales: Assignment Essay Writing

 There are certain jurisdictions in Wales and England where crime has been noted to be rampant, and residents live in fear while at the same time feeling unsafe. There are various causes of crime in both actors, such as poverty, politics, drugs, education system, racism, and unemployment. Two primary sources of crime data are used in Wales and Britain, which include crime data as the police records and the crime survey for the two U.K. nations. The two sources have their strengths and limitations, but when joined together, they create a formidable picture of crime. The survey on crime interrogates individuals who are sixteen years and above who reside in the two jurisdictions on the experiences of a crime they had come across within the last year. These individual experiences are integral in approximating the extent of crimes and their occurrence (Britain, 2014).

Crime survey is a responsibility of the National Statistics Office. As a result, the crime surveys are conducted and by a code of practice laid down by the Independent National Statistician. According to the national statistics office (2014), Crime survey has in contemporary times covered interviews for children between the ages of 10 to 15 years. It is, therefore, the responsibility of every person to ensure that they abide by the law and avoid indulging in criminal activities such as threat, murder, and violence, among others. More, so individuals are nowadays interrogated about their attitudes to issues related to crime such as the criminal justice system, the police, and how they view anti-social behavior and crime. Interviewing crime victims ensures that the police collect first-hand information, which in turn helps collect accurate data.

The crime survey is based on victimisation survey. The survey measures the amount of crime that has occurred in a given jurisdiction by asking individuals whether they have been victims of crime in the last year.  The crime survey in these regions gives a good reflection of the extent of crime that has occurred compared to police recorded figures as they cover unrecorded crimes by the police. Not everyone living in Wales and England is involved in the surveys because the exercise is costly and time-consuming. Random sampling done during crime surveys ensures that the whole population is well represented and each and everyone has an equal opportunity to help survey a respondent (Britain, 2002).

Crime surveys in the United Kingdom are carried out by a research company that is independently known as Kantar Public. According to (Hostettler, 2009), Kantar Public is a renowned experienced survey company which conducts numerous research of the government. In instances where there is a need to ask children to take part in the survey, parental consent is required. The survey usually relies on the voluntary participation of children. Crime survey in England and Wales also enquires to know what individuals think about the police and personal safety.  Crime survey helps in measuring levels and trends in crime and fear of crime and perceptions of safety. Also, these surveys help measure the effect of crime on vulnerable groups and society (Hostettler, 2009).

Crime surveys allowed by the UK legislation are considered confidential when being collected and processed for the public good. Confidentiality of the crime surveys collected as stipulated by the code of practice statistics. Additionally, the data produced does not at any time identify an individual or any household.  Besides, the crime survey information is provided to government departments, approved researchers, and organisations for statistical use only (Britain, 2002).

Police recorded crime is referred to as the number of notifiable crimes which are reported and recorded by police. According to Leonard (1972), crimes that are accurately and thoroughly recorded by the police usually give a substantive measure of trends. The data recorded also gives a clear insight into police demands and help in evaluating how caseloads have changed in nature and quantity as time progresses. Police recorded crime are perceived to be more reliable and accurate as they cover a whole population, thus having more validity. The crimes recorded by the police are standardised and up to date. They are reliable because the time gap between crime occurrence and when a crime is recorded is short. It is notable that, data recorded to the police have in recent times been made available to the public only through the police website. Further, Leonard (1972) explains that the data is later protected using geo-masking techniques to minimise spatial accuracy to protect the victims.

Police recorded crimes are very useful in that it represents some ethical issues since they support the moral duty of citizens and observations to report the crime. Also, the police are perceived by functionalists as having the interests of the citizens at heart and also representing the whole society in curbing crime. As a source of crime data, it is considered to be the best source for severe crimes such as racial offending. It is for this reason that the police recorded crimes is deemed to be appropriate for the recording of local crimes as they can be analysed and accessed effectively (Leonard, 1972).

The police recorded crimes as a source of data has numerous limitations that lead to its criticism. One of them is that the method does not record all types of crimes. In most instances, many of the crimes reported are related to theft, since it is a necessity of pursuing insurance claims. Secondly, large populations of citizens do not have confidence with the police. The lack of confidence is a feeling that develops in individuals due to the perception that nothing will be done after reporting the crimes. Another limitation of police-recorded crimes is police discretion. The issue with the figures of police-recorded crimes is that they are affected by decisions and discretions made by the police officers. Besides, some officers may turn out to be corrupt while others might be guided by their self-interests. More so, some individuals may not report crimes even after experiencing them because they are frightened to deal with them as required by the law (Britain, 1900).

Assignment Essay Writing: Implications of Inaccurate Crime Data

One of the factors that may directly and negatively affect crime prevention in England and Wales is inaccurate crime figures. Wrong crime figures lead to several implications in the quest of curbing crime. For instance, when accurate statistics are recorded, the police will be unable to control crime in society effectively, without manipulation. Secondly, the police department will not be able to fund their activities appropriately. For instance, when the figures are inaccurate and represent reduced values from the actual; values, their allocations will decrease and thus affect the fight against crime. On the other hand, when the figures are more compared to the exact numbers, the budget allocation for curbing crime will be misused as they will be in excess (Leonard, 1972).

Another implication of inaccurate crime figures is that it will affect police service delivery. In turn, the service delivery will be ineffective, which may also lead to individuals losing their trust with the police force (Hostettler, 2009). When the public loses confidence and trust with the police force, they may end taking the law in their hands and also refuse to participate in crime surveys, which in turn results to increase in crime rates. As a result, Hostettler (2009) further explains that data collected will continue to be inaccurate, unreliable, and to some extent, vague.

Conclusion

In conclusion, crime is a significant concern issue in any part of the global arena. As a result, governments, the police force, and the justice systems are obliged to work together to ensure that justice is served to victims of crime. Also, the crime data collected should be carefully analysed and accessed to help curb crime effectively. Consequently, the police force should ensure that they maintain high ethical standards and commit themselves fully to their responsibilities to ensure that the crime rate is reduced. Besides all stakeholders in crime prevention should play their role effectively.