The gold-standard “national statistics” status has been withdrawn from police recorded crime figures following repeated allegations that some of the quarterly published figures have been subject to “a degree of fiddling”.
The UK Statistics Authority said it had taken the decision as a result of “accumulating evidence” that the underlying data on crimes recorded by the police may be unreliable.
via Police crime figures lose official status over claims of fiddling | UK news | theguardian.com.
But wait….it gets better!
The allegations have included claims that the Metropolitan police have understated sexual offences by as much as 25%. MPs have heard allegations that fiddling techniques have included downgrading offences to less serious crimes or persuading victims not to make a complaint, while in some cases crimes were only recorded if they were solved. Other incidents were kept completely off the books if an offender could not be traced, they have been told.
I guess the mount of dirt got too big under the rug and somebody noticed.
“while in some cases crimes were only recorded if they were solved”
I’ve heard this before, but I wasn’t sure about it because it always sounded so unbelievable. I guess that makes comparing statistics from different countries meaningless if you don’t know what their procedures are and whether they’re even reporting everything.
I’ve heard similar charges against police departments in NYC, Philly, and Chicago. Since the police commanders are rated based on the crime statistics in their area, they have reason, motive, and the opportunity to “massage” the statistics.
NYC
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/08/daniel-zimmerman/nyc-safest-big-city-systematically-falsifying-crime-statistics/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eli-b-silverman/low-crime-rates-nypd-eli-b-silverman-john-a-eterno_b_1772489.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/nyregion/07crime.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
general
http://www.policemag.com/channel/patrol/articles/2013/10/what-s-really-going-on-with-crime-rates.aspx
The Brit case is much more deeper and twisted than some precincts screwing with the compstats. We are talking about a top to bottom institutionalized effort to change not only unfavorable statistics but even the definition of what a crime might be. The most egregious has to be Murder/Manslaughter: While here cause and manner of death is determined by either the investigator or the Medical Examiner regardless if the crime is ever solved, in the UK, determination is now made if there is somebody actually convicted of the crime. As i said, this is institutionalized from top to bottom: from the Home Office to the Bobby in the street going thru and including the the courts. Or to put it in our terms, from the top of the DOJ going down the FBI to the cop on the beat.
Japan is even more pervasive. They won’t even make a determination unless they have a suspect ready to take to rial. If they don’t, the ME is easily convinced to fudge with the autopsy report in a way that is not the truth but not lying either. IE: Somebody gives a man a dose of drugs that paralyzes his heart. If there is no suspect, cause of death is listed as Heart Attack.
In a sad way, the movie Hot Fuzz is not too far from reality.
Not exactly shocking. Hell read a report from 2011 from their Ministry of Justice and the on the front fucking page of that official government report it said the figures we’re not entirely accurate. of course it then went on to say that that was because a great many crimes don’t get reported because the British people feel their justice system and law enforcement as…….hmmm how to put this as nicely as possible? Subpar? Not up to standards, less than adequate? Less than helpful/useful?
ahhh fuck it. Aww hell with it it. Lets be brutal honest. They view their law enforcement and justice system as about as useful as teats on a hog, as a fart in a gale of wind, as about as pleasant an experience as wiping your ass with a cactus. I could go on but I’m sure ya’ll get the idea