Crime statistics
|
|
Crime statistics provide a statistical measure of the level, or amount, of crime that is prevalent in societies.
Crime statistics are gathered and reported by many countries and are of interest to several international organisations, including Interpol and the United Nations. Law enforcement agencies in some countries, such as the FBI in the United States, publish crime indices, which are compilations of statistics for various types of crime.
Crime statistics can come from a number of sources. However, the primary sources are Police forces and similar law enforcement agencies. Police statistics are generally limited to the offending that is reported to them and the offenders they apprehend. It is well known that some types of crime are not reported to Police. Public surveys may be conducted in order to ascertain the amount of crime not reported to Police and to ascertain levels of victimisation, which Police may have difficulty identifying.
Statistics are usually collected on
- Offences - Breaches of the law
- Offenders - Those who commit offences
- Victims - Those who are offended against
Because laws vary between jurisictions, comparing crime statistics between, and even within, countries can be difficult, sometimes even problematic.
Related topics: Crime science, Criminology, Demography,