What do official crime statistics count?

crimes reported to and recorded by the police. Much crime never enters the figures.

What is a victim survey?

a survey asking people which crimes have been committed against them. It includes crimes that were never reported.

What is a self-report study?

a study asking people which offences they have committed. It reveals offending that was never detected.

Which is a limitation of self-report studies?

people may lie about or exaggerate their offences. They depend on honesty.

A new rule means that insurance companies pay out only if a theft has been reported to the police. Recorded theft rises. What is the most likely reason?

more victims are reporting theft, so the dark figure is shrinking. The statistics changed because behaviour around reporting changed.

Measuring crime · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 revision

In plain words

How much crime is there? Nobody knows. Sociologists have three different ways of counting, and each sees part of the picture. The part that none of them sees has a name of its own.

9 things to know

Official statistics on crime are published by governments, based on crimes recorded by the police and on court and prison records.
Official statistics: strengths. They are free to use, cover the whole country, and are collected every year, so trends and patterns can be seen.
Official statistics: limitations. They count only crimes that were reported to the police and then recorded by them.
The dark figure of crime is the amount of crime that is unreported or unrecorded, and so is missing from the statistics.
Victims may not report because the crime seems too minor, because they fear the offender, because they are embarrassed, because they do not trust the police, or because they do not know they are victims. The police may not record a crime if they lack evidence or see it as too minor.
A victim survey asks a sample of people which crimes they have suffered in a set period, whether or not they told the police. It can be national or local. It uncovers unreported crime.
Victim surveys depend on memory and honesty, and they miss crimes with no individual victim, and crimes that people do not want to talk about.
A self-report study asks people, anonymously, which offences they have committed. It reveals offenders who were never caught, and shows that offending is spread more widely than the statistics suggest.
Self-report studies depend on honesty. People may hide or exaggerate. They are mostly used with young people and for minor offences.

Worked example

Police figures for a city show burglaries falling by 10%. A victim survey in the same city shows no change. Suggest an explanation.

The police figures count only reported and recorded burglaries.
The survey counts burglaries people say they suffered, reported or not.
One explanation is that fewer victims are reporting, perhaps because they have lost trust in the police.
So the real level of burglary may not have fallen at all. The dark figure has grown.

Tips and tricks

Three methods, three points of view: the police (official statistics), the victims (victim surveys), the offenders (self-report studies).
When you criticise official statistics, use both words: unreported, which is the public's decision, and unrecorded, which is the police's.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Measuring crime: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What do official crime statistics count?
- all the crime that takes place
- crimes reported to and recorded by the police (the answer)
- crimes shown on television
- only violent crimes
Much crime never enters the figures.
What is a victim survey?
- a list of prisoners
- a questionnaire for police officers
- a report by a judge
- a survey asking people which crimes have been committed against them (the answer)
It includes crimes that were never reported.
What is a self-report study?
- a study asking people which offences they have committed (the answer)
- a police officer's diary
- a newspaper report on crime
- a court record
It reveals offending that was never detected.
Which is a limitation of self-report studies?
- they count only reported crime
- they are published by the government
- they include only victims
- people may lie about or exaggerate their offences (the answer)
They depend on honesty.
A new rule means that insurance companies pay out only if a theft has been reported to the police. Recorded theft rises. What is the most likely reason?Stretch
- more theft is taking place
- the police have stopped recording
- more victims are reporting theft, so the dark figure is shrinking (the answer)
- insurance causes theft
The statistics changed because behaviour around reporting changed.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Measuring crime

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

What is meant by the "dark figure of crime"?[2]
Show answerHide answer
The amount of crime that is not reported to or recorded by the police, and so does not appear in official statistics.
I got this one
Explain two reasons why victims may not report a crime to the police.[4]
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Any two, each explained: they think the crime is too trivial; they fear revenge from the offender; they are embarrassed or ashamed; they do not trust the police or think nothing will be done; they do not realise that a crime has been committed against them.
I got this one
Explain one strength and one limitation of victim surveys.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Strength: they include crimes that were not reported to the police, so they give a fuller picture than official statistics. Limitation: they rely on people's memory and honesty (or: they do not cover crimes with no individual victim).
I got this one

Answers: Measuring crime

1. The amount of crime that is not reported to or recorded by the police, and so does not appear in official statistics.
2. Any two, each explained: they think the crime is too trivial; they fear revenge from the offender; they are embarrassed or ashamed; they do not trust the police or think nothing will be done; they do not realise that a crime has been committed against them.
3. Strength: they include crimes that were not reported to the police, so they give a fuller picture than official statistics. Limitation: they rely on people's memory and honesty (or: they do not cover crimes with no individual victim).