Monthly statistics - frequently asked questions
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Background
Why - and when - are police moving to a monthly release for statistical indicators?
What will the monthly statistical indicators cover? National, regional or local?
Does this mean the current existing release of crime statistics (every six months and annually) will end?
If not, why are the police running two sets of statistics that are essentially not comparable?
Offence details
How were the offences (being measured) determined?
Why have you not included 'Total Crime' in the indicators?
Why have you included some preventative tasks, but not others?
The number of preventative tasks reported in some locations look low compared to others. Is it that the tasks aren't being done, or that they're not always being recorded?
Other
Don't Police already have enough to do, instead of releasing more information to comment on?
Why, with the issue of the current crime statistics, is there a three month "lag" between the end of the counting period and the public release of the results?
Why have Police not included resolution rates?
Why - and when - are police moving to a monthly release for statistical indicators?
For some time, the possibility of making monthly crime statistical indicators available has been the subject of discussions between Police and other Government agencies including Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry of Justice. Currently official crime statistics are published every six months, and then with a three month "lag". There is a need to communicate what has been happening more frequently than this.
Monthly reporting of topical statistical indicators commenced in July this year.
What will the monthly statistical indicators cover? National, regional or local?
The monthly crime indicators will be reported at National, Police District and Police Area level in standard charts.
Does this mean the current existing release of crime statistics (every six months and annually) will end?
No, it is expected the release of monthly statistical indicators will complement the current existing releases of crime statistics which occurs every six months on 1 April and 1 October.
If not, why are the police running two sets of statistics that are essentially not comparable?
It is not practical in the short term to replace the existing 6-monthly crime statistics releases with comprehensive monthly releases. However, it is possible to publish every month a nationally consistent set of statistical indicators related to crime and associated police activity. These will complement the existing crime statistics, rather than replace them.
How were the offences (being measured) determined?
The indicators were chosen to balance topical issues with our ability to report meaningful data on a monthly basis. They include offences reported to Police, those discovered or detected by Police and preventative activities aimed at reducing crime. Caveats and offence descriptions have been included to differentiate the monthly indicators from the 6-monthly crime statistics.
Why have you not included 'Total Crime' in the indicators?
Although Police has historically published figures for total crime each April and October, total crime is not ideal as a statistical indicator. This is because it is sensitive to changes in legislation, as new offences are introduced, and because it is too broad to be particularly meaningful. As an example, consider trends in total crime over recent years. The introduction and expansions of liquor ban areas and the introduction of computer offences have resulted in additional offences being recorded. Other countries such as Australia and the USA do not report statistics for total crime, but report a limited set of indicator offences. The best indicator offences are those that are more likely to be reported to police.
Why have you included some preventative tasks, but not others?
Our aim is to publish a limited set of indicators rather than masses of data. This is easier to digest, and less work to produce. The indicators chosen are topical and take data quality into account. Also, they represent a breadth of police activities, and thereby tell the story that police undertake a range of diverse actions in order to prevent crime.
The number of preventative tasks reported in some locations look low compared to others. Is it that the tasks aren't being done, or that they're not always being recorded?
There appear to be some under-counts coming through in certain Districts/ Areas for particular activities such as foot patrols.
Part of the reason for this is that officers completing such tasks do not always call them through to Police's Communications Centres, which is where data for this part of the statistical picture comes from. Taking the example of foot patrols, it can also be the case that, even though officers walk a beat in three different parts of a city, they might only log one patrol job (because they want to minimise voice traffic over Police airwaves).
Local practices can also play a part, with a focus on systematically recording all proactive tasks in some places, whereas in others it is left more to individual officer discretion. Overall, where preventative task counts looks a little low by comparison to elsewhere, this may reflect recording issues. Giving greater public visibility to such preventative work should help to lift levels of recording of this important side of policing.
Don't Police already have enough to do, instead of releasing more information to comment on?
Police Districts often need to release crime statistics to their communities. It is very important that the information provided is accurate and timely, while at the same time allowing Police to make soundly-based decisions while doing their jobs.
Why, with the issue of the current crime statistics, is there a three month "lag" between the end of the counting period and the public release of the results?
Under current crime-counting rules and IT system functionality, publishing official crime statistics requires considerable backroom effort and is thus only done every six months.
Why have Police not included resolution rates?
Because there are delays between an offence occurring and when it is reported to Police, the new monthly figures will not be comparable with official crime statistics, which are based on when crimes occur. The monthly indicators will not include resolution rates, but these will still be included in the official crime statistics that are published every six months on 1 April and 1 October.
