Crime

Population estimates for the 2001/2002 crime data are based on mid-year 2000 LA estimates from the Office for National Statistics. Household estimates are mid-year 2000 estimates from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the National Assembly for Wales.

The population data for the 1999/2001 crime data are 1999 Mid Year Population Estimates on April 1998 boundaries, ONS data for Local Authorities. Household data are estimates for mid-1999 provided by DETR of the total number of households in each partnership area.

In April 2001 the Association of Chief Police Officers, APCO, agreed to introduce the new National Crime Recording Standard across all 43 police forces in England and Wales. The new standard has two main aims:

To move the crime counts for the 43 forces of England and Wales onto a more consistent national basis; and To take a more victim-centred approach to crime recording.

The ACPO standard is based on increasing the clarity and transparency in recording crimes - and a move towards a more comprehensive recording of crimes reported to the police by the public. This will inevitably lead to increases in police recorded crime. In particular, it will lead to the inclusion of a larger number of low level crimes that might previously have been omitted from the police recorded crime statistics.

Although it is recognised the new practices are likely to increase the recorded crime statistics over and above what they might show in the absence of such a change, this will mean that all police forces move to a better recording practice and should result in ministers, parliament and the public having better and more reliable information to understand crime trends. It will also benefit police forces by ensuring that they have a comprehensive database of information on which to base their assessments of 'hot spots' and other criminal activity, and decisions on their response.

Over the last two years, five forces have already moved to recording in the way recommended by the new standard. A few other forces moved towards this position some time before. The five forces are West Midlands (who had completed the transition early in 2000-01), Staffordshire, Lancashire, Kent and Avon & Somerset. Although the timing of the move was different in each case, early indications suggest that these forces are likely to be showing increases in total crime in the July crime statistics (e.g. in the 12 months to end-of-March). It should be emphasised, again, that these increases do not mean that crime levels within these forces will necessarily have increased.

Percentage changes for CDRPs in Avon and Somerset may be affected by the forces' move to the ACPO National Crime Recording Standard.

Crime and Criminal Justice Unit, Research Development Statistics, Home Office July 2001

Related Links:

To view the Full Document for Home Office Crime Statistics 2001, please click here.
For the Avon and Somerset Constabulary (Police) web-site, please click here.

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