Detections & Counting Rules

Whilst reading PC Copperfield's entry about Sarah Corran who got stabbed several times by a 7yr old, I particularly noted the comment about Home Office Counting Rules. The manipulation of crime recording figures by politicians (and subsequently police forces to meet targets) is in itself criminal. It's becoming a lottery trying to remember what is and is not 'recordable' these days. HO Counting rules are there to, and I quote; improve clarity and to ensure consistency in recording by police forces.

Detecting a crime: You would think that detecting a crime is about finding out who did it and gathering sufficient evidence to secure a conviction in a court of law? Not so!

According to the Home Office; once a crime is recorded and investigated, and evidence is collected to link the crime to a suspect, it can be detected according to criteria contained in Detections Guidance (41 pages). So even if you can work out if a crime has actually been committed or not and, you can find out who dun it and, you can get enough evidence to convince the Crown Prosecution Service it is worth 'aving a go at court and, you can get the alledged offender to attend court and, you get a conviction and, the offender gets a credible punishment... Your force is not guaranteed to be able to record a detected crime? Great stuff! Is it any wonder so many copper's are disillusioned???

The politicians are happy though... If they get any stick from the electorate about an increase in a particular crime and, it is likely to effect them in popularity poles there is a simple answer... Make that crime non recordable and then it doesn't exist in Crime Statistics any more!

Any chance you can do that with all of them Mr Brown and we'll have less paper work!