Crime and Deviance Research Methods - Official Statistics and Self Report Studies

Reporting of Crime

Not all crimes are reported to the police, which clearly has a huge impact on the validity of crime statistics

Some reasons why crimes may be unreported are:

• Fear of reprisals
• The crime may involve a family member or a friend
• The incident may be seen as too trivial to report
• Fear or distrust of the police
• Embarrassment
• Lack of awareness that a crime has been committed

Recording Crime

Not all crimes are recorded by the police, which has a huge impact on the validity of crime statistics

Some reasons the police may not record a crime

• They do not believe a crime has been committed
• The police use their discretion and issue a warning or advice without making it official
• If the police arrested every drunk causing a nuisance on a Saturday night, the police would have too much work to do and the cells would be too full
• The priorities of the chief constable will also make a difference

British Crime Survey

Advantages

• Victim surveys such as the BCS provide a more valid measure of crime than using police records alone
• The allow comparisons to be made between variables
• As they are carried out using the same questions each year, they should be more valid…