Measurement of crime at international level

Side Event UNSC New York February 2012

Angela MeChief Statistics and Surveys Section

UNODC

Putting together data from different countries:

To identify geographical areas where crime is a threat to citizen security, development, stability

To establish a platform where countries can compare their crime levels and trends

Homicide rate by country (2010)

Beyond the collection/dissemination of data to describe the

Tans-national nature of crime

Challenge in measuring crime

Crime reported to authorities and recorded

by authorities

Challenge in measuring crime

Crime reported by citizens through

victimization surveys

Administrative statistics + victimization surveys

What forms of crime are measured?

Trends in conventional types of crime

0

50

100

150

200

250

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

Inde

x: 1

995=

100

Drug-related crime - 19countriesRobbery - 25 countries

Burglary - 17 countries

Rape - 22 countries

Motor Vehicle Theft - 22countriesHomicide - 40 countries

Are these the forms of crime that matter?

• Corruption • Economic/financial crime• Cybercrime• Money laundering• Organized crime

– Human trafficking

Develop methodology to

measure the ‘difficult to

measure’ crime

Develop methodology to measure the ‘difficult to measure’ crime

• Updating existing recording systems to better understand the typology and dynamics

Develop methodology to measure the ‘difficult to measure’ crime

• Updating existing recording systems to better understand the typology and dynamics

• Design new data collection tools• Target different actors

– Business– Private sector

10

5

10

15

20

25

Homicide rate

Persons brought into formal contact for homi-cidePersons convicted for homicide

Rate

s pe

r 100

,000

pop

ulat

ion

8 countries with high homicide rates (>8.0)

12 countries with medium homicide rates (2.0-7.9)

18 countries with low homicide rates (0-1.9)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Homicide rate

Persons brought into formal contact for homicide

Persons convicted for homicide

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Homicide rate

Persons brought into formal contact for homicide

Persons convicted for homicide

Putting together multiple systems: different criminal justice components

and states/federal

Source: UNODC CTS

Need for classifications and national coordination mechanisms: the role of NSO

Need to ‘engender’ crime statistics

Violence against women

Crime reported to authorities and recorded

by authorities

Violence against women surveys

Victimization surveys

Center of excellence on crime statistics

TrainingMethodology

Framework for measuring organized crime

International Statistical Classification of Crime

Collection / dissemination of international data series: ex. homicide statistics

Corruption surveys

First International Conference on Statistics on governance, public security, victimization and justice

Aguascalientes 22-25 May 2012

Better data, deeper analysis, improved policies, less crime

Thank you for your

attention.