A consultation on how Official Statistics present information on recorded crime and related topics
Feedback updated 30 Jun 2021
We asked
In July 2019, The Scottish Crime Recording Board sought your views on how Official Statistics present information on recorded crime and other related topics. This included invited views on an alternative approach to the current seven group structure. The consultation ran from 8 July 2019 to 30 November 2019.
You said
You provided us with eighteen responses to our consultation questions. These included responses from 13 organisations and 5 individuals.
In summary, there was consensus among the respondents on:
- Support for increased granularity within the Recorded Crime National Statistics.
- Supportive of presenting crimes under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 as a distinct category.
- Supportive of re-classifying common assault as a crime and also to separate these crimes into with and without injury.
- Respondents were supportive of suggestions to rename some crime groups such as changing Fire-raising / vandalism etc. to Damage and reckless conduct.
- Respondents were generally not supportive of reclassifying crimes of drug possession for personal use as an offence.
- Supportive of increasing the evidence base around the impact of cyber-technologies on crime trends and in particular the inclusion of a dedicated chapter in the National Statistics.
Other suggestions included:
- Respondents were also in favour of removing the split between recorded crimes and recorded offences, specifically questioning whether it was still of relevance today
A report detailing a summary of all responses received was published on 17th June 2021 and is available at Official Statistics - recorded crime and related topics: consultation responses - summary - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).
We did
Responses to the consultation have now been published where permission has been obtained to do so and a report detailing a summary of all responses received has been published (see above).
The Scottish Crime Recording Board are considering all responses to this consultation along with other feedback received from events which were run as part of the consultation. Any changes which result from this exercise will be implemented from the 2021-22 reporting year onwards. The 2020-21 Recorded Crime National Statistics (due in September 2021) will continue to be presented using the existing approach.
Having reflected further on the outcome of this consultation, the Scottish Crime Recording Board plans to present a revised provisional grouping structure for final comments in Autumn 2021, with final decisions being made in early 2022. If possible, this will allow changes to be implemented from April 2022 onwards.
Going forward, users will be kept informed of any developments relating to the consultation through the ScotStat network.
Results updated 30 Jun 2021
This publication provides a summary of responses a discussion of next steps to the consultation on how information about different types of crime is grouped and presented within the recorded crime Official Statistics (and other statistical products).
Links:
Published responses
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
Overview
The Scottish Crime Recording Board would like to consult users on how the National Statistics on police recorded crime are presented.
Scottish Government statisticians produce a National Statistics bulletin once a year on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Scotland.
Police recorded crime in Scotland has fallen over the past decade, with the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey showing a similar trend for comparable crimes. Over this time there have been larger than average falls in some types of crime, such as vandalism or theft from a motor vehicle – whilst in contrast, the number of sexual crimes recorded by the police continues to grow.
The recording of crime by the police has also seen changes to reflect the passing of new legislation – and will continue to do so into the future. Examples include the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 and more recently the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018.
Why your views matter
It is within the context of this evolving nature of crime, and the legislation that underpins how it is categorised, that the Scottish Crime Recording Board would like to consult users on how these National Statistics are presented. This includes their views on some potential changes in approach.
The purpose of this engagement is to ensure recorded crime statistics remain of high value – through their relevance to those who use them, and their capacity to support understanding of the important issues relating to crime in Scotland (alongside other complementary sources of official statistics and research). This process is guided by the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, which underpins the production of high quality and trustworthy statistics, that support society’s need for information.
The Crime Board will consider responses to this consultation, alongside other planned engagement with stakeholders. Assuming they are deliverable, some of the changes which could result from this exercise may be implemented from the 2019-20 reporting year onwards. The 2018-19 Recorded Crime National Statistics (due in September 2019) will continue to be presented using the existing approach.
Read the Consultation Paper here.
Upcoming events
Statisticians will host a user event during the consultation period to talk through the questions contained in the main document and give stakeholders an opportunity to provide any feedback (which would be in addition to their response through the consultation hub).
If you would be interested in attending this event, you can email crimeconsultation@gov.scot and we will keep you informed once arrangements have been finalised (including through the SCOTSTAT network).
What happens next
The Crime Board will consider responses to this consultation, alongside other planned engagement with stakeholders. Any changes which result from this exercise may be implemented from the 2019-20 reporting year onwards. The 2018-19 Recorded Crime National Statistics (due in September 2019) will continue to be presented using the existing approach.
Events
-
Crime Consultation: User Event (morning)
From 15 Aug 2019 at 10:00 to 15 Aug 2019 at 12:30These events are open to all organisations and individuals who have an interest in this topic. Statisticians will give a presentation on the areas covered in the consultation, and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss further, provide feedback and ask questions. Any feedback collected will be in addition to responses received through the Citizen Space consultation hub.
Attendees will be provided with further background materials prior to the event.
There is a morning (1000 to 1300) and an afternoon (1400 to 1700) session. Attendees are only required to sign up for one session.
If you have any questions about this event or the consultation in general please email us at crimeconsultation@gov.scot.
Attendees can register at the following address:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crime-consultation-2019-user-event-tickets-66305269847 -
Crime Consultation: User Event (afternoon)
From 15 Aug 2019 at 14:00 to 15 Aug 2019 at 16:30These events are open to all organisations and individuals who have an interest in this topic. Statisticians will give a presentation on the areas covered in the consultation, and attendees will have the opportunity to discuss further, provide feedback and ask questions. Any feedback collected will be in addition to responses received through the Citizen Space consultation hub.
Attendees will be provided with further background materials prior to the event.
There is a morning (1000 to 1300) and an afternoon (1400 to 1700) session. Attendees are only required to sign up for one session.
If you have any questions about this event or the consultation in general please email us at crimeconsultation@gov.scot.
Attendees can register at the following address:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crime-consultation-2019-user-event-tickets-66305269847
Interests
- Law and Order
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