News Portal

Why it’s important to be able to see and understand the crime in the news

A big part of the news cycle these days is the daily occurrence of crime. 

We can look at it as a news cycle in the form of an iceberg, where the iceberg is what we see and feel most of the time. 

What you may not see in the daily news cycle is the fact that it can also be a source of fear, as we are constantly reminded of the threat posed by crime.

There is a perception in the UK that crime is the enemy of the state, as people think it’s bad to be honest with a neighbour or that they shouldn’t report crime, but in reality, crime can be just as serious a threat as terrorism. 

In fact, the crime statistics that are published are the most comprehensive and up-to-date, but you’re not going to see it on the news every day, even if you’re watching the BBC. 

When it comes to crime, the British Crime Survey (BCS) provides a comprehensive and accurate measure of crime across the UK, so you can get a sense of the extent of crime in your area, but it doesn’t provide a complete picture of crime trends.

The BCS also relies on the UK’s National Crime Recording Agency to provide a snapshot of crimes in the country. 

The National Crime Record Office has also been criticised for using a methodology that makes it difficult to compare police recorded crime with other data sources. 

So how can you use this information to make better decisions?

Firstly, you should always use the BCS data to make comparisons across areas, and then use this to help make your own judgement about the extent and nature of crime, as well as the risk that there may be a rise in crime in certain areas. 

You can also use the Crime Survey to look at crime trends in your region, and compare it to the BCA data.

The crime statistics also help to build a picture of the country and its community, so it’s crucial to get the statistics out in the public domain, which is why the government has been working to make the BCR data publicly available. 

If you’re a news organisation or you want to be sure that you’re up to date with the latest news, then you can find the latest BCS crime figures in the Bureau of Statistics website. 

For more on how to read the BCP data, you can read our article How to Read the BACP data.