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Scottish Crime Statistics
- a perspective from the Statistics Authority
Scotstat – Crime And Justice Statistics User Day 5 March 2012
Neil Jackson
Coverage of presentation
• Overview of the UK Statistics Authority• The Assessment Programme• Findings from the assessment of crime
statistics
ONS Omnibus, 2007
Figures are generally accurate
Figures are produced
without political
interference
Government uses
figures honestly
% % %
Agree 36 20 16 Neither agree
nor disagree 31 23 26
Disagree 33 57 58
Base = 100% 1112 1112 1112
Views about official statistics in general
EU Eurobarometer 2007
Do you trust official statistics?
Tend to Trust Tend not to trust DK
Framework for National Statistics, 2000
• New post - ‘National Statistician’ • New set of rules - ‘Code of Practice’• New quality standard - ‘National Statistics’ • New Watchdog –‘The Statistics Commission’
Statistics and Registration Service Act, 2007
• New oversight body, the Statistics Authority replaces the Statistics Commission
• ONS becomes the Authority’s ‘Executive Office’
• New statutory Code of Practice • Formal assessment of ‘National Statistics’
against the Authority’s Code
About the Statistics Authority
• An independent body operating at arm's length from Government as a non-ministerial department
• A UK body, directly accountable to the UK Parliament and the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales and N Ireland
• Its statutory objective is to promote and safeguard the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good
Activities
• Assessment• Monitoring Reports
- Monitoring Report on Strengthening User Engagement
- Overcoming barriers to trust in Crime Statistics
• Monitoring Briefs• Correspondence• Issues Log
Knife Crime Statistics
Monitoring Report on Crime Statistics in England and Wales
Earlier reviews of crime statistics
• Proposal for an integrated information system spanning the criminal justice system, from the initial crime record to subsequent court proceedings and penal treatment (Perks, 1967)
• Recommendation for victim-focused approach to the recording of crime (Simmons, 2000)
• Need to improve the provision of local crime data to meet the needs of the public and local agencies (Statistics Commission and Smith reviews, 2006)
Aims of Assessment
• to determine whether the Code of Practice for Statistics has been complied with
• to communicate to Parliament and the public the extent of compliance with the Code
• to help the producers of official statistics to enhance the quality of the statistical service
Elements of Assessment
• New statutory Code of Practice • Self-evaluation evidence from producer
teams• Views of Users, suppliers and other
stakeholders• Review of statistical releases and associated
documentation
Designation
Statistics…
• Meet identified user needs
• Are produced, managed and disseminated to high standards
• Are well explained
Published Assessment Reports
Scotland 36
Wales 16
Northern Ireland 15
UK Government Departments 66
Office for National Statistics 39
Other 18
Total 190
Number of Requirements by Principle and Protocol; first 179 Assessments
Published Assessment Reports on Crime Statistics
2 Recorded Crime in Scotland Scottish Government
June 2009
12 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey
Scottish Government
Sept 2009
102 Crime Statistics in England and Wales
Home Office April 2011
119 Statistics on Homicide, Domestic Abuse, Firearm Offences and Firearm Certificates Recorded by the Police in Scotland
Scottish Government
June 2011
Scope of Assessments
Assessment Report Statistical Releases Covered
Recorded Crime in Scotland • Recorded Crime in Scotland
Statistics on Homicide, Domestic Abuse, Firearm Offences and Firearm Certificates Recorded by the Police in Scotland
• Homicide in Scotland
• Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Scotland
• Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland
• Firearm Certificates Statistics, Scotland
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey
• Scottish Crime and Justice Survey: Main Findings
• Partner Abuse
• Sexual Victimisation and Stalking
Crime Statistics in England and Wales
• Crime in England and Wales
• Quarterly Update
• Supplementary Volumes 1 to 3
• Drug Misuse Declared
Principle 1: Meeting User Needs
Report Requirements Suggestions
Recorded Crime in Scotland
Make documentation available on how issues identified
through user consultation are prioritised and developed
Homicide, Domestic Abuse, firearms etc
Publish a plan to document the needs of
users and the use made of these statistics
Refer to the types of use put forward in the Statistics
Authority Monitoring Brief The use made of official statistics
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey
Agree to publish information on users and
user views, including whether the survey meets
their needs, in 2010
Publish information about the potential uses of the statistics to encourage wider use of the
data
Strengthening User Engagement – Key areas for improvement
• Better understanding of the use currently made of official statistics and the value to society that flows from that use;
• Better communication with a wider range of users; and
• Better exploitation of the existing consultation structures and technologies to ensure that user engagement is effective
Principal 2: Impartiality and Objectivity
• The authors of the statistical release should prepare their own impartial and objective commentary on the statistics rather than rely on commentary provided by police forces
• Ensure that all releases of these statistics are accessible via the National Statistics Publication Hub
Protocol 2: Release practices
• Ensure that government statements on Recorded Crime in Scotland statistics are clearly presented as policy statements (or ministerial statements) and can be readily distinguished from statistical releases
• Identify the earliest feasible date for publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland
• Publish records of those granted pre-release access to these statistics in their final form
Principle 4: Sound methods and assured quality
• Provide users with more information about the methods, procedures and classifications used to collate these statistics and publish more information about the quality of the police statistics
• Consult with suppliers of the data for the other releases to explore the extent of any differences in recording practices
• In collaboration with counterparts in the other Devolved Administrations, the UK Government and ONS, promote work to improve the comparability of recorded crime statistics across each of the 4
Protocol 3: The use of administrative sources for statistical purposes
Report RequirementsRecorded Crime in Scotland
Publish a Statement of Administrative Sources, once central guidance becomes available
Homicide, Domestic Abuse , firearms etc
Include in its Statement of Administrative Sources the specific arrangements for using police forces’ administrative data for the police statistics with particular reference to arrangements for auditing the quality of the administrative data held by police forces
Recommendation 6, barriers to trust report
Publish a description of the steps currently taken
I.to ensure that police crime records result from the consistent application of the Counting Rules and
II.to quality assure the statistics deriving from those records.
It should supplement the steps in (i) as necessary, for example by spot checks or periodic external audit, in order to provide public reassurance of consistency.
Principle 5: Confidentiality
Report Requirements
Homicide, Domestic Abuse, firearms etc
Prepare written confidentiality protection agreements covering the sharing of homicide data with National Records of Scotland
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey
Publish the arrangements for protecting confidential Scottish Crime and Justice Survey data
Principle 6: Proportionate burden
Report Suggestion
Recorded Crime in Scotland
Report annually on the estimated costs to suppliers
Principle 8: Frankness and accessibility
Report Suggestions
Recorded Crime in Scotland
Strengthen the commentary to analyse statistics from both the SCJS and police recorded crime and to consider their
coherence when viewed together
Prepare additional commentary on the national (Scottish) situation, and on the policy context, in order to help users’
interpretation of the statistics
Make data tables in other formats, for example downloadable Excel files, to encourage analysis and re-
use
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey
Strengthen the commentary about statistics from both the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey and Recorded Crime in
Scotland and consider their coherence when viewed together
Recommendation 4, barriers to trust report
• a conceptual framework for crime and criminal justice data, showing flows through the system, where and how data are captured, and where gaps, discrepancies or discontinuities occur
• a free-standing guide that explains the strengths and limitations of different types of crime data, the circumstances in which it would be appropriate to use one source rather than another, and the kinds of judgement that need to be made when no single source is ideal
• guidelines on the presentation and use of crime and criminal justice statistics in government documents and statements
• advice for the public about the interpretation of performance measures in the criminal justice system. This advice should be made available on all government websites where such data are displayed.
Findings from assessment
• Better understand and communicate the use made of official statistics
• Improve the text that accompanies the first release of official statistics
• Improve the documentation of sources and methods
• Make better use of existing administrative data for statistical purposes
• Improve the comparability between some statistics produced by the four administrations
Website
UK Statistics Authorityhttp://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/