Crime statistics in Sweden

Arletta Plunkett

Crime statistics in Sweden

The National Council for Crime Prevention

Task force Statistics on Crime, Luxembourg, 31May-1 June 2005

•Official Swedish Crime Statistics;Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (BRÅ)

•Self Declaration Survey

•International Crime Victimisation Survey

•Survey on Living conditions in Sweden

What Crime Statistics are collected in Sweden

Contents

Organization

Criminal Statistics

Collecting Data

Producing Criminal Statistics

Distributing Statistics

Organization

StatisticalDivisionPersonal: 7

ITDivisionPersonal: (6)

Criminal Statistics

Field

Recorded offences

Cleared-up offences

Persons suspected of offences

Persons found guilty of offences

Recidivism

The correctional care system

Producer

BRÅ

”

”

”

”

KVS

Collecting Data(produced by the National Council for Crime Prevention)

Police/Custom CourtProsecutor

Recorded off.

Cleared-up off.

Suspected persons

Persons found guilty

(Recidivism)

The National Council for Crime Prevention

Registration: Recorded offences

by the police/custom and prosecutor

•Includes all crimes reported to or discovered by the police

•Statistics include all offences against the penalty code, the law on road traffic offences etc.

•Every offence committed on a single occasion is recorded

•Attempts may be classified as completed crimes (depending on offence)

•Each crime is represented by a code

Registration: Recorded offences

by the police/custom and prosecutor

Example

Type of offence

Attempted car theft:

Completed car theft :

About 300 different types offences

Every type has a separate code

Code

0801

0802

Registration The code

0801

Juridical information

Law, Act, Chapter, Section

Criminological information: Object, procedure, place (indoors, outdoors) etc.

Serial number

From the code list (page 1)

8 chap.

Penal code

Theft and burglary

1, 2, 4, 7, 8 sec.

Theft of motor vehicle

0801

0802

0803

0804

0805

0806

Attempted car theft

Completed car theft Motor-cycle

Moped

Boat

Other

From the code list (page 2)

Definitions and comments Criteria for counting offences

Completed car theft: … as soon as the car is moved …

Attempted car theft: … as soon as the ignition switch or … has been affected …Moped: …

Theft: One offence for each place …. ……….

One offence for each specified occasion …

Collecting Data: Recorded offences

The National Council for Crime Prevention

PolicePolice

PolicePolice

Police

21 regional police authorities

Police

National Police Board

Every day

Once a week: about 20 000 offences per week

Producing Criminal Statistics:controls at the National Council for Crime Prevention

Control Data Base

Statistical Data Base

Corrections

Producing Criminal Statistics: output

Statistical Data Base

Preliminary statistics about

•Recorded . offences

•Internet

Preliminary statistics about

•Recorded . offences

Internet, Report

Definitive statistics about

• Recorded offences

• Cleared-up offences

• Suspected persons

Internet, Report

Monthly Quarterly Yearly

Registration: Person found guilty of offences by courts and prosecutor

•Statistics includes all crimes against the penalty code and other laws and acts

•In some reports the rule of major crime is applied

–Major crime is considered that with the highest penalty

Collecting Data: Persons found guilty of offences

The National Council for Crime Prevention

CourtCourt

CourtCourt

CourtCourt

National Police Board

Every day

The National Courts Administration

Once a month

District prosecutorDistrict prosecutorDistrict prosecutorDistrict prosecutorDistrict prosecutorDistrict prosecutor

The Office of the Prosecutor-General

Every day

Every day

Producing Criminal Statistics:controls at the Council for Crime Prevention

Control Data Base

Statistical Data Base

Corrections

Producing Criminal Statistics: output

Statistical Data Base

Definitive statistics about:

• Persons found guilty of offences

• Persons found guilty of Narcotics offences

• Recidivism

Internet, Report

Yearly

Distribution of Criminal Statistics

Internet Monthly Preliminary. Recorded offences

Quarterly Preliminary. Recorded offences Yearly Definitive. Recorded offences

Cleared-up offences Suspected persons Persons found guilty of offences

Recidivism

Reports Quarterly Preliminary. Recorded offences Yearly Definitive. Recorded offences

Cleared-up offences Suspected persons

Persons found guilty of offences Recidivism

Distribution of Criminal Statistics

Yearbook Yearly Definitive statistics about

• Recorded offences

• Cleared-up offences

• Persons suspected of offences

• Persons found guilty of offences

•Persons found guilty of narcotics offences

• Recidivism

• The correctional care system

Distribution of Criminal Statistics

Special questions by post, email, phone etc: • Judicial system

• Research (from schools to universities)

• Media

• Public

• etc.

Other statistical reports and research