Understanding Crime Rates - Police and Public Roles in the Production of Official Statistics

• NCJ Number: 79264
• Author(s): K Bottomley; C Coleman
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 179 pages
• Sale Source: Gower Publishing Co Ltd
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

Findings and implications are presented from a British study of the processes of police recording, classification, and investigation of reported crime.

Abstract

The study was conducted in a medium-sized industrial city north of England. The primary data came from a one-in-seven systematic random sample of the indictable crime reports compiled by the police during 1972. This produced a total initial sample of 2,819 crime reports, of which 313 were eliminated as 'no crimes' after police investigation. The final sample of 2,506 crimes recorded and classified as indictable offenses by the police included 1,019 that were cleared by the police. The study indicated that the context in which reports were produced had a decisive impact upon them, and the reports were therefore regarded as low-visibility activities of police officers. Accounts were seen to vary according to such factors as the perceived seriousness of the case, its detectability, and the officer's desire to minimize paperwork, while justifying his action. Other factors were the officers' desire to avoid future embarrassment and satisfying the expectations of superior officers. Findings reaffirm the crucial role of citizens in reporting crime to the police. Since the police decision to disregard some incidents reported by citizens as 'no crimes' greatly affects the final official record of crimes, the process followed in making this decision is critical; however, the study did not reveal any predictable link between a particular set of incident circumstances and how those circumstances may eventually be represented in the official records. The classification of reported incidents is apparently subject to a variety of processes not specified by legal definitions, abstract principles, or official instructions. Questions about the usefulness of police records as a research source are raised. Suggestions for future research are offered. Tabular data, about 100 bibliographic listings, and author and subject indexes are provided.