A Comparison of Official Crime Statistics and the Actual Crime Rate

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A Comparison of Official Crime Statistics and the Actual Crime Rate

Introduction

I chose the title ‘Do official crime statistics where I live reflect

the actual crime rate?’ This is an investigation in which I will have

to compare the official crime statistics in my area with crime

statistics found by the British crime survey and my own research.

I chose this title for many reasons. I think that the gap between

official crime statistics and the hidden crime figure is a large one.

I believe this is partially the fault of the police and our system. I

think that people in society do not feel they can trust or rely on the

police enough to report all crimes. Answering my coursework question

and revealing reasons for not reporting crime and reasons that police

do not record all crime is important in improving the system of

dealing with victims and decreasing crime. I find this interesting and

compelling.

I think it is very important to society to find ways to help change

the label of the police and to encourage reported crime. People may

feel that they con not report crimes like rape because it is

uncomfortable to talk to the police about it. If research showed this

then police could be trained to deal with victims in a more caring

manner.

My hypothesis

I expect to find that the official crime statistics in my area do not

reflect the actual crime rate. I expect this because it is obvious

that not all crime is reported to the police. Many people do not

report crime that they feel is too petty and where they cannot gain

anything from reporting it (e.g. people may report a stolen car to

claim from their insurance.) I th...

... middle of paper ...

...d not

get their chance to express their opinion. If I had interviewed a

police officer my conclusion on their involvement in the difference

between the actual crime rate and the official statistics might have

been different.

I believe that my results show very clearly that there is a huge

difference between the official crime statistics and the actual crime

rate. I think that if shown my results most of society would be very

shocked by them. I do think that many people would blame police for

this difference, however I am not sure if this blame would be fair. I

think that if police read my results they may be encouraged to be more

sensitive towards victims of crime in order to get rid of the label

that has been created of their attitudes towards victims. However,

police may resent the public for their comments.

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