Policy Hub
On 21 July 2005, Home Office published a report (Crime in England and Wales: 2004/5), This is the fourth report in an annual publication that combines the reporting of police recorded crime and the British Crime Survey (BCS) results. The police recorded and BCS figures are a complementary series that together provide a better picture of crime than could be obtained from either series alone. It shows that crime in England and Wales fell by seven per cent in the previous year, according to the British Crime Survey (BCS). The BCS is generally accepted as the most authoritative and reliable indicator of crime trends and has measured people's experience of crime in the same way for over 20 years.
The police recorded crime reports on the financial year 2004/05. Police statistics provide a good measure of trends in well-reported crimes, are an important indicator of police workload, and can be used for local crime pattern analysis.
BCS
results are based on interviews conducted in the financial year
2004/05.
For the crime types it covers, the BCS can provide a better
reflection of the true extent of crime because it includes crimes
that are not reported to the police. The BCS count also gives a
better indication of trends in crime over time because it is
unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police, and in
police recording practices.
A technical report providing more information about the adjustments
that were used in making comparisons between the BCS and recorded
crime data is available (pdf):
Comparing BCS and police counts of crime 2004-2005
2003-4 British Crime Survey (England and Wales) Technical Report
Volume I
A press summary of the report can be viewed on the Home Office website