My hypothesis I expect to find that the official crime statistics in my area do not reflect the actual crime rate. I expect this because it is obvious that not all crime is reported to the police. Many people do not report crime

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Social science coursework

Do official crime statistics where I live reflect the actual crime rate?

By Felicity Groves

Introduction

I chose the title ‘Do official crime statistics where I live reflect the actual crime rate?’ This is an investigation in which I will have to compare the official crime statistics in my area with crime statistics found by the British crime survey and my own research.

I chose this title for many reasons. I think that the gap between official crime statistics and the hidden crime figure is a large one. I believe this is partially the fault of the police and our system. I think that people in society do not feel they can trust or rely on the police enough to report all crimes. Answering my coursework question and revealing reasons for not reporting crime and reasons that police do not record all crime is important in improving the system of dealing with victims and decreasing crime. I find this interesting and compelling.

I think it is very important to society to find ways to help change the label of the police and to encourage reported crime. People may feel that they con not report crimes like rape because it is uncomfortable to talk to the police about it. If research showed this then police could be trained to deal with victims in a more caring manner.

My hypothesis  

I expect to find that the official crime statistics in my area do not reflect the actual crime rate. I expect this because it is obvious that not all crime is reported to the police. Many people do not report crime that they feel is too petty and where they cannot gain anything from reporting it (e.g. people may report a stolen car to claim from their insurance.) I think that many would consider most of the crime that goes on in my area to trivial to report to the police (vandalism without much loss etc). This then supports my hypothesis as this would mean that most crime in my area is not reported.

 

I predict that:

. Most crime in my area goes unreported

. Most people in my area are victims of petty crime rather than serious crime

. Crime statistics in my area will be lower than the national average

. Most people will feel that the police could do more to help increase reported crime.

Background reading

When a crime is reported to the police they may record it. However, the police do not always record all crime. Police do not record crime that they feel is too trivial or the matter may be a mistake. All crime that is reported and recorded goes together to form the official crime statistics, this is gathered in regions and forms the national crime statistics.

However, official crime statistics are not completely reliable as not all crime is reported to the police and so they cannot record it. A lot of crime also goes undetected and the police do not record some crime.

If a crime has not been detected by the victim and goes unnoticed then it cannot be reported to the police. For example if money is stolen from someone’s wallet and they do not notice it gone then, it is not detected and therefore not reported. In addition, a victim must define an incident as a criminal offence and not just an accident if it is to be detected. For instance if a window is smashed.

Many crimes are not reported to the police and so cannot be recorded by them.

Sociologists know that the number of crimes committed is far higher than the official crime statistics suggest, because of the use of self-report studies and victim surveys.

Self-report studies are anonymous questionnaires where people own up to committing crimes whether they have been detected or not.

Victim surveys involve people admitting to being a victim of crime (whether or not they have reported it.) The British Crime Survey is an example of a victim survey carried out by the British home office. The aim of this is to discover how much crime goes unreported by victims and unreported by the police. This is then able to estimate how much crime there is in society.

Many people do not report crime because they feel that the police will consider the matter to trivial and dismiss them. This is backed up by the fact that the police do not record all crime. The police may not necessarily record an act of crime. For instance, they may consider the matter to trivial or to be a mistake. The complainant may decide not to proceed with a complaint. In addition, there is not always enough evidence to

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Justify a criminal investigation.

Crime that is not reported or unrecorded compiles the hidden figure of crime.

The largest victim survey in Britain is the British Crime Survey. I am going to compare the official crime statistics with the British crime survey statistics. I am then going to compare the official statistics in my area with the national average. This will help me understand how my area compares to the rest of Britain. I have found the results from the British crime survey and official crime statistics of my area, north Somerset.

I researched the national ...

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