What does the british crime survey reveal?
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Key facts
Survey coverage: England and Wales
Target Sample: 20,000 achieved interviews(in 2000) + 4,000 ethnic minority boost
Response Rate: 80%+
Why is the survey carried out?
The BCS measures the amount of crime in England and Wales. This includes crimes which may not have been reported to the police, or recorded by them. It thus provides an important alternative to police recorded crime statistics. Without the BCS the government would have no information on these unreported crimes. The BCS also helps identify those most at risk of different types of crime. This is used in designing and informing crime prevention programmes. It is also used to assess people’s attitudes to crime and towards the Criminal Justice System. It is one of the major sources of information about levels of crime, public attitudes to crime and other Home Office issues.
How is the survey done?
The 2000 BCS was carried out by Social Survey Division and the National Centre for Social Research. From 2001 the British Crime Survey, which is still a National Statistic was carried out by the Home Office.
