"almost no public faith in crime stats" - Sir Ian Blair
19 June 2008, 11:06 AM
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"almost no public faith in crime stats" - Sir Ian Blair
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has admitted that there is "almost no public faith" in crime figures.
The New Scotland Yard head said the way crimes are categorised has been changed "so frequently they are bewildering".
He suggested that British authorities adopt the same system as in New York where crimes are recorded in a more straightforward way.
Speaking at the second Colin Cramphorn memorial lecture at the Policy Exchange, Sir Ian said the media and politicians have also weakened confidence in crime statistics.
He said: "Few question the crime figures in New York. Residents largely accept that their city is safer than it was. And that is because New York has not fiddled about with how they collect crime statistics in the way the UK has."
Sir Ian said many people would be surprised at how many crimes are recorded and said, for example, that gun enabled crime until recently included attacks with CS gas.
He mocked a definition of knife crime provided for police which includes an exhaustive list of weapons such as machetes, axes, crossbows, darts and needles.
He said: "...then is added, in a rather Monty Python way and I quote again, 'this list is not meant to be exhaustive', presumably in case someone is stabbed to death with a cocktail stick."
Sir Ian called for crime counting rules to be revised and simplified to make figures simpler and more credible. He said a similar transformation to New York policing has been taking place in London but in a "rather unstated British way".
Sir Ian said the Metropolitan Police welcomed plans by new Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to introduce New York-style crime mapping. He said: "But it would help if the data that made up the map were of a sort that fully makes sense."
The New Scotland Yard head said the way crimes are categorised has been changed "so frequently they are bewildering".
He suggested that British authorities adopt the same system as in New York where crimes are recorded in a more straightforward way.
Speaking at the second Colin Cramphorn memorial lecture at the Policy Exchange, Sir Ian said the media and politicians have also weakened confidence in crime statistics.
He said: "Few question the crime figures in New York. Residents largely accept that their city is safer than it was. And that is because New York has not fiddled about with how they collect crime statistics in the way the UK has."
Sir Ian said many people would be surprised at how many crimes are recorded and said, for example, that gun enabled crime until recently included attacks with CS gas.
He mocked a definition of knife crime provided for police which includes an exhaustive list of weapons such as machetes, axes, crossbows, darts and needles.
He said: "...then is added, in a rather Monty Python way and I quote again, 'this list is not meant to be exhaustive', presumably in case someone is stabbed to death with a cocktail stick."
Sir Ian called for crime counting rules to be revised and simplified to make figures simpler and more credible. He said a similar transformation to New York policing has been taking place in London but in a "rather unstated British way".
Sir Ian said the Metropolitan Police welcomed plans by new Tory Mayor Boris Johnson to introduce New York-style crime mapping. He said: "But it would help if the data that made up the map were of a sort that fully makes sense."
19 June 2008, 11:48 AM
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Well, when Lord Birt produces a report for the PM that states that 130 million offenses occur each year, you can bet it gets buried and spun! When the home office's own little known report says there are over 60 million offenses per year (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors217.pdf), the BCS says there are 11 million, although it leaves out crimes related to
illegal drug use, murder, sexual offences, crimes against under-16s, crimes against commercial premises, thefts of commercial vans or trucks and shoplifting, and the police say theres 5 million, you know someones lying!
illegal drug use, murder, sexual offences, crimes against under-16s, crimes against commercial premises, thefts of commercial vans or trucks and shoplifting, and the police say theres 5 million, you know someones lying!
Last edited by warrenm2; 19 June 2008 at 11:50 AM.
19 June 2008, 12:02 PM
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I wonder if the figures take into account u14 pregnancies as crimes FFS!
Sharp rise in abortions for U-14s - Yahoo! News UK
Sharp rise in abortions for U-14s - Yahoo! News UK
19 June 2008, 12:13 PM
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Boris seems a busy man.
Making a lot of sense too. Too many times are crimes not recorded in the first place. Simply put down as an enquiry.
Boris for PM? Might get my vote.
Looked into Red Kens spending
Looked into Olympic 2012 costs
Looking at better ways to record crimes.
All things people want to know the truth too.
Making a lot of sense too. Too many times are crimes not recorded in the first place. Simply put down as an enquiry.
Boris for PM? Might get my vote.
Looked into Red Kens spending
Looked into Olympic 2012 costs
Looking at better ways to record crimes.
All things people want to know the truth too.
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