Force or Farce? - Police Recorded Crime 2009

Accurate and trusted crime recording and statistics are essential, not only to underpin the legitimacy of policing, but also to enable the effective allocation of resources. Unnecessary bureaucracy is caused when systems for recording crime become inefficient or worse, manipulated for personal or political reasons. The recording of crime should not receive more attention than the subsequent investigation. Trusted and accurate crime statistics are a key component of building confidence in policing and the Criminal Justice System.
 
In this paper, the crime analysis team at Nice 1 Ltd, will highlight an area that causes anxiety among front
line police officers - the crime recording process. Having collated numerous operational examples of how forces are encouraged to minimize incident numbers reported, we set about identifying the areas where there is greatest potential for manipulation. To read the latest report click here. Alternatively click the Force or Farce link in the sidebar to the "View Our Reports".

In a previous report “Home Office Crime Statistics – Decreasing Crime By Fair Means Or Foul”, we dealt with the disparity that exists in the incident numbers between the British Crime Survey and police recorded crime. In that report, we commented that crime statistics could not be considered accurate or trusted, but were rather “a pernicious conspiracy to deceive” with the Government being ultimately responsible for a sham two tier crime measurement system. In creating a performance target driven Criminal Justice System, a tangled web of bureaucratic systems have been implemented within the police service, disguising the true picture of crime and defeating the ends of justice the system is meant to serve.

By targeting senior police officers to reduce crime and increase detections with lucrative monetary rewards, (senior officers receive 15% bonus on top of six figure salaries for hitting crime reduction targets), the Government is assisted in its plot by willing co-conspirators. Senior officers looking to progress further are encouraged to devise systems and procedures that perpetuate the illusion of reducing crime.

This report takes the enquiry further, by exploring the flaws that exist within the police recorded crime process. Both reports can be viewed in the View Our Reports sidebar.

NEWS UPDATE - SUNDAY 5TH DECEMBER 09

Supporting the evidence we have presented in this and prior postings, an article appears in the Telegraph today that will blow the lid off the police force tricks to fiddle crime figures. 

Read the article here  or paste this link into your browser http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/6736505/Police-force-tricks-to-fiddle-crime-figures.html

We will report on this further shortly.

Comments or observations are welcome to enquiries@nice-1.co.uk

Crime Analysis Team
Nice 1 Ltd