We commissioned Professor Chris Lewis to carry out a rapid review of crime and criminal justice statistics in other countries, to inform our work in the UK. We wanted to get a sense of how UK statistics compared internationally, answering questions such as:

• Is coverage of existing statistics in the UK better, similar to or worse than those in most other countries?
• Do other countries produce statistics on particular topics that are missing in the UK and if so what are the most significant gaps?
• Are there any lessons that producer organisations in the UK might learn from the equivalent organisations in other countries about crime and justice statistics?

We asked Professor Lewis to draw on his existing knowledge and to update and add to this where necessary, primarily using internet searches. We asked for a short overview report with referenced examples to allow further investigation, rather than an in-depth report. We asked Professor Lewis to draw his conclusions and give some sense of the priority he would put on any suggestions for developing the statistics. The opinions expressed are the Author’s own. We commissioned the report in 2016 and some of the detail may now be out of date. For example ONS’s crime index (paragraph 23) is now published.

Although we commissioned the report primarily to fill a gap in our knowledge, producer organisations from across the UK – who are keen to learn from others – said they would find the report useful and we have shared it with them. We are publishing the report to give equal access to others with an interest in this topic.

Contact for more information:

Email Pat MacLeod
020 7592 8657