Crime Statistics: Community Indicators

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Crime Statistics Community Indicators

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What makes crime a complex issue?

• crime is a "hidden" event and can be difficult to
  describe
• crime is a local phenomenon variations between
  neighbourhoods are important
• conceptual issues can be complex
• obtaining data directly is dependent on police
  records or on special purpose surveys
• police data tied to legal definitions
• surveys are expensive and have limitations

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Example indicators

• prevalence of crime at national, state and
  community levels
• reported and unreported crimes - rates of
  reporting
• "nuisance" incidents - graffiti, being "hassled"
  or abused
• perceptions of safety and beliefs about community
  crime levels

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Possible data sources

• national crime victimisation surveys
• Crime and Safety survey, Personal Safety survey,
  International Crime Victims survey
• state or community level surveys
• information from police records of recorded crime
• information from other agencies
• eg) hospital admissions, insurance claims

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Data sources surveys

• can provide information relating to
• unreported crime
• fear of crime
• beliefs about levels of crime
• "nuisance" incidents which are significant to the
  community but are not reported
• can examine personal characteristics of victims
  and non-victims
• allows state, national and international
  comparisons

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Data sources surveys (continued)

• limitations include
• small range of offences collected
• small area data difficult to collect
• matching survey language to legal definitions is
  problematic
• may be too infrequent for regular monitoring
• different cultural understandings of crime can
  affect international comparisons

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Data sources police data

• comprehensive data available
• all offences
• all geographical areas
• limitations include
• no data for unreported crime
• dependent on policies and procedures of different
  police agencies
• legislative frameworks specific to jurisdictions

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Data developments surveys

• ABS survey review conducted
• recommendation of new model involving
• annual monitoring of headline offences and fear
  of crime
• less frequent survey collection of complex
  offences
• eg) domestic and family violence, sexual assault
  and "emerging" crimes
• questions for national surveys could be made
  available to allow same framework for local area
  surveys

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Data developments police data

• new national crime recording standard established
• based on scenarios and behaviours
• makes mapping survey and admin data easier
• once implemented, small area data would be
  attainable across jurisdictions
• proposed pilot study in NSW and WA on small area
  property crime data
• potential for international use

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Other crime and justice data

• data on offenders
• development of offenders proceeded against by
  police and their characteristics
• possibility for small area data
• recidivism
• looking at possibility of "re-contact"
  measurement includes re-contact with police,
  courts, corrective services, juvenile justice.

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Other issues

• current gap for crimes against businesses in
  crime victimisation surveys
• needed for costs of crime to the community
• currently working with justice agencies to get
  better indigenous victims and offenders data