Discuss the accuracy of Crime Statistics in The Uk

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Officially recorded crime statistics by the Home Office suggest that there were approximately 5.4 million crimes in Britain in 2006/07. This decreased by 10% in 2007/08. However, the British Crime Survey (BCS) suggests that there were in fact 11.3 million crimes in 2006/07, decreasing by 10% as well. This therefore poses the question: why is one survey telling us that the amount of crime recorded is in reality under half of what is actually happening?

A main reason behind the difference in these statistics is the way that they are both recorded. Police record statistics only when, according to official guidelines, 'the circumstances as reported amount to a crime defined by law' and there is no credible evidence to the contrary of the reported circumstances. There are problems with this method of recording crimes. For example, it also states in the official guidelines that 'Apparent or possible criminal activity, such as damage to bus shelters, telephone kiosks, forensic items (blood) etc, which does not in itself amount to evidence of a crime, coming to the attention of the police after the incident either personally or via third parties, would not initially be recorded as a crime but as a