Legal Definitions - crime statistics

Crime statistics refer to the systematic collection and analysis of data by official government bodies to quantify and describe the prevalence and patterns of criminal activity. This data typically covers specific types of offenses, within defined geographical boundaries, and over particular periods.

• Example 1: The police department for the city of Springfield releases its annual report, detailing the number of reported property crimes, such as burglaries and vehicle thefts, that occurred within the city limits during the previous calendar year. The report also includes figures for violent crimes like assaults and robberies.

  This illustrates crime statistics because it involves figures compiled by a governmental agency (the Springfield Police Department) to show the incidence of various types of crime (burglaries, vehicle thefts, assaults, robberies) within a defined geographic area (the city of Springfield) during a specified time (the previous calendar year).

• Example 2: A national justice department publishes a quarterly bulletin summarizing the number of hate crimes reported across all states in the country for the first three months of the year. The bulletin breaks down these incidents by category, such as those motivated by race, religion, or sexual orientation.

  This fits the definition as it involves figures compiled by a governmental agency (a national justice department) to show the incidence of specific crimes (hate crimes) within a defined geographic area (the entire country) during a specified time (the first three months of the year).

• Example 3: A state's Department of Public Safety conducts a five-year review, tracking the number of reported incidents of cybercrime, including online fraud and data breaches, across all counties in the state between 2018 and 2023. The review aims to identify trends and allocate resources effectively.

  This is an example of crime statistics because it involves figures compiled by a governmental agency (the State Department of Public Safety) to show the incidence of particular crimes (cybercrime, online fraud, data breaches) within a defined geographic area (all counties in the state) during a specified time (the five-year period from 2018-2023).