Strengths and Weaknesses of Crime Statistics and Victimisation Surveys

Strengths and Weaknesses of offensive Statistics and victimisation SurveysRates of poisonous offence are enter using two key sources patrol Recorded Crime (PRC) and victimization Surveys. Both will be explored and examined to see how they toilette, effectively assist insurance policy makers in targeting areas for change. In addition the advantages and disadvantages of each method will be discussed along with their similarities and differences.To understand why it is important to record offensive manoeuver aims, cardinal key nonions must be clarified. Firstly, umbrage is effectively defined as any act or omission out law of natureed by the crook law and thus punishable (Odgers,1911). Secondly, the purpose of the judicial system is to execute the law and protect victims of iniquity. Thirdly, miserable guilt relates to premeditated inclination.Universal law is non-existent therefore each country or locality has its own legal system. The shared aim is to hold person/ s reckonable for their behaviour. Substructures of the bench may focus on specific areas of interest. These may include the courts, and penal system and constabulary. The role of the courts and penal system is specific. It is in rear end to mete out and protect the innocent, to pass judgement on the guilt or sinlessness of persons presented and to serve a proportionate punishment in solution to the criminal act committed. Any form of justice served must remember the civilian liberties of all concerned, including the offender. Crime prevention and law enforcement are a go division provided by the constabulary.The term criminal guilt stems from two unplumbed Latin principles. These are actus reus which translates as bad act and mens rea guilty fountainhead. The criminate must be found to have committed actus reus with the willing intention to perpetrate the act and/or to have assessed the risk i.e. accident or fear may be experienced as a say result of the action (Dubber, Markus D. (2002). Few exceptions to cosmos found guilty of angiotensin-converting enzyme of these alone exist, these concern whether a person can be in full answerable for their actions. Examples of mens rea without actus reus can relate to offenses, where although the action is deemed illegal, the act may not have the deliberate intention to harm another. Examples of this could involve driving at excessive speed, an act of accidental manslaughter or self-defence. (law.jrank.org)Two comparable sources are used to value crime rates within the UK. Police enter crime measures the glitz of notifiable offences committed over a resolved period, within the jurisdiction that the constabulary serves. Crime-related statistics are obtained at request of the British Home constituent, where they are collated, analysed, and published throughout the year. The figures provide the government and the open with a summarised account of the information obtained. They aim to reveal and compare crime rates within specific localities. They are likewise used to abut the effectiveness of policing. This information can be used to suggest areas for improvement and assist in the constant struggle to prevent crime occurring.The flash method that is utilised, verifies the conclusion to which crime is perpetrated and is a valuable tool when combatting crime. Victimisation surveys primarily recognised as the British Crime Survey (BCS) is a form of crime-related statistical research that was established in 1982. It was introduced in response for an alternative complementary system to exist alongside using legal philosophy records alone. It aimed to gather intelligence on the public attitudes towards crime and their opinions relating to the judicial system. Although operationally in hooklike from any government body, the BCS is still conducted for the British Home Office (First BCS report, Hough and Mayhew, 1983).The survey confidentially canvasses in the region of forty to fift y yard individuals (Office for National Statistics, 2005) to uncover various information relating to crime-related experiences, including anti-social behaviour and constabulary interaction and response to criminal activity. The people questioned span various demographics and aim to be representative of society. They are inter beliefed anonymously via door to door visits or telecommunications.Police recorded crime statistics are easy to conduct and provide a good measure of criminal cases twain regionally and nationally. Because the statistics are compiled from practice of law reports readily available, the lonesome(prenominal) additional cost incurred involves the information being sent, analysed and evaluated. everyplace time re-occurring inclines and declines in illegal behaviour can be place and used when analysing patterns of crime, in particular to risk assess, highlight and tackle crime hotspots. Crime statistics can also indicate the workload and performance level of police forces throughout the country.1An indication of a reduction in crime related incidents could boost public morale. If necessary the findings could influence change surround governing policy. For example, the allocation or re-allocation of specific resources within a police department could lead to a more than efficient service. Identifying the need to place patrol officers where the greatest street crime occurs would be one steering to maximise effectiveness of the police service.Unless a crime has been reported to the police and they have classified it as criminal it will not be included. This means that all minor misdemeanours that would be trialled as summary offences in court such as, crimes relating to anti social behaviour, assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, along with most either-way offences for example thieving and drug offences are excluded from being recorded2. This highlights one of the main failings of this form of data accrual as it leads to d iscrepancies when analysing the results, especially when comparing between PRC and victimisation surveys.Data collection and recording of PRC statistics are affected by the regulations implemented by the current governing body3. The results uncovered may point to a rise in criminal acts being committed. This could have a prejudicious impact on society. As a result the published findings could make up biased and used as propaganda to mislead people into believing that crime rates are more favourable than factual. In some situations the volume of crime could be falsely recorded to meet performance and administrative targets (Chambliss, 2001). This is in direct contradiction of providing a good service to the public.British crime surveys are independent from government reports and not affected by changes in how crime is reported and documented. They play an important role in serving the public interest and governing change and policy. They provide a better indication relating to long -term trends of crime within society4, in particular highlighting crimes which affect different sociological groups. For example, crimes against women and those which affect nonage groups such as the vulnerable, mentally ill, the disadvantaged and ethnic minorities. The BCS provides statistics which demonstrate the extent to which crime occurs. It accounts for minor offences, antisocial behaviour and victimless crime such as fraud. It also includes household and individual(prenominal) crime which may not be otherwise reported or deemed a criminal act5.The BCS is evermore changing to adapt to new concerns affecting society6. Recent intricacy has seen the inclusion of acts committed against minors such as gadget theft which has seen a vast increase as technology advances however this is only in the testing stage and is yet to be fully implemented. It has also seen the inclusion of crimes relating to identity theft7. The confidential method of surveying is elastic and can reach a w ide proportion of people. Interviews conducted may take place at home, by visiting door to door or over the telephone. This can motivate people to openly speak their mind about their experiences and concerns. It may also lead to the discussion of topics of a untoughened nature for example, being the victim of racially incited or homophobic hate crimes, which they may not have wanted to report. This may be overdue to shame, embarrassment, a fear of repercussions or not being believed or interpreted seriously by the police service8. Overall the BCS appears to paint a broader portrayal of how a variety of crime-related issues really affect a ramble of varied people. Perhaps this is because they take the initiative and seek to learn more.Shortcomings touch this form of canvassing is that it is very costly to conduct, not only in man power but also time and resources. The effectiveness is indistinct as the results gathered rely on a persons honesty and personal insight in to how th ey have been affected which may provide magnified responses or false information.The BCS also excludes the recording of commercial crimes and heinous crime such as murder. However, the Commercial Victimisation Survey and the Offending Crime and Justice Survey are both in place to ascertain that crimes outside the boundaries of the BCS are still accounted for9.In summary, I have explored both methods used to research crime statistics and outlined the strengths and weaknesses of each. For example, The BCS relies on the respondents personal view of the effect of crime. PRC assumes that crime is always reported. Both methods are dependent on the classification of crime.Victimisation surveys fail to provide an accurate line drawing of society. This is because surveys of this form assume that people interviewed can and will provide a reliable version of events. An effective source of information can not solely rely on the integrity and factual representation of those it surveys. vario us(prenominal) perception can vary hugely, and factors such as differences between vivacious in a rural versus urban location and coming from differing socio-economic backgrounds can lead to ambiguous results. For example, certain groups of people may be targeted more or less than indicated. If these variables are not taken in to account then the measure of crime rates could be distorted and the general findings in relation to the sample population unfounded. Overall it can be seen that both the BCS and PRC are adequate methods for collecting information. When trying to measure crime the most effective method is to examine BCS and PRC together as the results combined provide a more comprehensive picture of how crime really affects society.