Police crime figures lose official status

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The Haze has been following the growing scandal of how the police dishonestly manipulate their own crime statistics. Now the gatherers of statistics say they can no longer trust the police to provide honest data.

The UK Statistics Authority has withdrawn its gold-standard “national statistics” status from police recorded crime figures following repeated allegations that some of the quarterly published figures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.

The Statistics Authority said the removal of the designation of national statistics would remain until the Office for National Statistics (ONS), working with the Home Office, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and others, was able to demonstrate that the quality of the underlying crime data was sufficient to meet the needs of users.

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.

Glen Watson, the ONS director general, said:

“ONS welcomes this very important UK Statistics Authority report. We look forward to working closely with the Home Office and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to respond to all of its recommendations.

“We have already highlighted our concerns about the quality of crime recording by the police, and the variations in trends between recorded crime and our own crime survey for England and Wales. I am pleased this has been recognised by the authority.”

The Haze says:

This rather bland quote disguise s a very serious crisis in this country.

If we cannot trust the police to behave with basic integrity then statistical authorities will not be the only ones to lose faith.

The British public still regard their police force with high regard and maintain a faith in their basic competence and honesty.

But these scandals and the way that politicians are endeavouring to use the police to squash dissent risk that high regard.

Once the police lose their standing then the public loses faith – once that happens and the police are seen as tools of political power then their all important relationship with the public breaks down.

Once the relationship between the police and the general public frays, then their ability to an honest and effective job is greatly diminished and we all lose.

The Haze will monitor developments.