An estimate of the proportion and number of police recorded crimes committed by young people aged 10 to 17 in 2009/10. The approach used was to apply data on proven offending from the Police National Computer, which contains the key information on the age of proven offenders, to police recorded crime statistics. The analysis estimates that young people aged 10 to 17 were responsible for 23 per cent of police recorded crime in 2009/10, equivalent to just over a million police recorded crimes. This finding highlights the importance of tackling crime by young people in reducing overall levels of crime.

Crime-related incidents experienced by children aged 10-15 in England and Wales: experimental statistics from the British Crime Survey based on the first 12 months data (year ending December 2009)

Source agency: Home Office

Designation: Experimental Official Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Victimisation of children aged 10-15

This statistic shows the share of 10 to 15 year olds that think the local police treat young people the same as adults in England and Wales from 2009/2010 to 2012/2013. The percentage was rather low but did experience a slight net increase over this four year period.

This statistic shows the number of young people (10-17) found guilty at court in England and Wales in 2018/19, by indictable offence. Theft offences were the most common type of crime for young people, with ***** young people found guilty for such offences in this period.

The study aimed to provide an estimate of the extent, frequency and nature of self-reported offending among 14-25 year olds in England and Wales, to establish the reasons why some young people start to offend, and what influences those young offenders who desist from offending to sustain a non-criminal lifestyle.

Further details about the YLS and links to reports may be found on the Home Office Youth Lifestyles Survey web page.

This aggregated and appended subset of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) was compiled as part of the ESRC project Victims' Access to Justice through English Criminal Courts, 1675 to the present. The project addresses a pressing need within the current criminal justice system: to find means of securing broader public access to justice defined as the right and ability of a person to seek formal acknowledgement and redress of wrongs committed against them within a given legal system.

This special dataset gathers variables from the CSEW about the Criminal Justice System (CJS), socio-demographic information and some victimisation details, extends and aggregates them. The study was also influenced by the work of Farrall et al. (2013), held under SN 7875 - Long-Term Trajectories of Crime in the United Kingdom, 1982-2013. Further information can be found in the documentation.

Formats

The data were originally compiled in R and deposited in comma-separated CSV format. The R scripts are available in the download zip files for all formats (SPSS, Stata and CSV), as the derivation and analysis information contained in them may also be useful to SPSS and Stata users. Those users who prefer to analyse the data in R using the original CSV version should select the CSV download file.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks a sole adult in a random sample of households about their, or their household's, experience of crime victimisation in the previous 12 months. These are recorded in the victim form data file (VF). A wide range of questions are then asked, covering demographics and crime-related subjects such as attitudes to the police and the criminal justice system (CJS). These variables are contained within the non-victim form (NVF) data file. In 2009, the survey was extended to children aged 10-15 years old; one resident of that age range was also selected from the household and asked about their experience of crime and other related topics. The first set of children's data covered January-December 2009 and is held separately under SN 6601. From 2009-2010, the children's data cover the same period as the adult data and are included with the main study.

The Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) became operational on 20 May 2020. It was a replacement for the face-to-face CSEW, which was suspended on 17 March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It was set up with the intention of measuring the level of crime during the pandemic. As the pandemic continued throughout the 2020/21 survey year, questions have been raised as to whether the year ending March 2021 TCSEW is comparable with estimates produced in earlier years by the face-to-face CSEW. The ONS Comparability between the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales and the face-to-face Crime Survey for England and Wales report explores those factors that may have a bearing on the comparability of estimates between the TCSEW and the former CSEW. These include survey design, sample design, questionnaire changes and modal changes.

More general information about the CSEW may be found on the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales web page and for the previous BCS, from the GOV.UK BCS Methodology web page.

History - the British Crime Survey

The CSEW was formerly known as the British Crime Survey (BCS), and has been in existence since 1981. The 1982 and 1988 BCS waves were also conducted in Scotland (data held separately under SNs 4368 and 4599). Since 1993, separate Scottish Crime and Justice Surveys have been conducted. Up to 2001, the BCS was conducted biennially. From April 2001, the Office for National Statistics took over the survey and it became the CSEW. Interviewing was then carried out continually and reported on in financial year cycles. The crime reference period was altered to accommodate this.

Secure Access CSEW data
In addition to the main survey, a series of questions covering drinking behaviour, drug use, self-offending, gangs and personal security, and intimate personal violence (IPV) (including stalking and sexual victimisation) are asked of adults via a laptop-based self-completion module (questions may vary over the years). Children aged 10-15 years also complete a separate self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaires are included in the main documentation, but the data are only available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7280), not with the main study. In addition, from 2011 onwards, lower-level geographic variables are also available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7311).

New methodology for capping the number of incidents from 2017-18
The CSEW datasets available from 2017-18 onwards are based on a new methodology of capping the number of incidents at the 98th percentile. Incidence variables names have remained consistent with previously supplied data but due to the fact they are based on the new 98th percentile cap, and old datasets are not, comparability has been lost with years prior to 2012-2013. More information can be found in the 2017-18 User Guide (see SN 8464) and the article ‘Improving victimisation estimates derived from the Crime Survey for England and Wales’.

This statistic shows the number of young people found guilty of robbery in England and Wales in 2018/19, by age group. For the ages 15-17 there were *** young offenders who were sentenced for such crimes.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks a sole adult in a random sample of households about their, or their household's, experience of crime victimisation in the previous 12 months. These are recorded in the victim form data file (VF). A wide range of questions are then asked, covering demographics and crime-related subjects such as attitudes to the police and the criminal justice system (CJS). These variables are contained within the non-victim form (NVF) data file. In 2009, the survey was extended to children aged 10-15 years old; one resident of that age range was also selected from the household and asked about their experience of crime and other related topics. The first set of children's data covered January-December 2009 and is held separately under SN 6601. From 2009-2010, the children's data cover the same period as the adult data and are included with the main study.

The Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) became operational on 20 May 2020. It was a replacement for the face-to-face CSEW, which was suspended on 17 March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It was set up with the intention of measuring the level of crime during the pandemic. As the pandemic continued throughout the 2020/21 survey year, questions have been raised as to whether the year ending March 2021 TCSEW is comparable with estimates produced in earlier years by the face-to-face CSEW. The ONS Comparability between the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales and the face-to-face Crime Survey for England and Wales report explores those factors that may have a bearing on the comparability of estimates between the TCSEW and the former CSEW. These include survey design, sample design, questionnaire changes and modal changes.

More general information about the CSEW may be found on the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales web page and for the previous BCS, from the GOV.UK BCS Methodology web page.

History - the British Crime Survey

The CSEW was formerly known as the British Crime Survey (BCS), and has been in existence since 1981. The 1982 and 1988 BCS waves were also conducted in Scotland (data held separately under SNs 4368 and 4599). Since 1993, separate Scottish Crime and Justice Surveys have been conducted. Up to 2001, the BCS was conducted biennially. From April 2001, the Office for National Statistics took over the survey and it became the CSEW. Interviewing was then carried out continually and reported on in financial year cycles. The crime reference period was altered to accommodate this.

Secure Access CSEW data
In addition to the main survey, a series of questions covering drinking behaviour, drug use, self-offending, gangs and personal security, and intimate personal violence (IPV) (including stalking and sexual victimisation) are asked of adults via a laptop-based self-completion module (questions may vary over the years). Children aged 10-15 years also complete a separate self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaires are included in the main documentation, but the data are only available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7280), not with the main study. In addition, from 2011 onwards, lower-level geographic variables are also available under Secure Access conditions (see SN 7311).

New methodology for capping the number of incidents from 2017-18
The CSEW datasets available from 2017-18 onwards are based on a new methodology of capping the number of incidents at the 98th percentile. Incidence variables names have remained consistent with previously supplied data but due to the fact they are based on the new 98th percentile cap, and old datasets are not, comparability has been lost with years prior to 2012-2013. More information can be found in the 2017-18 User Guide (see SN 8464) and the article ‘Improving victimisation estimates derived from the Crime Survey for England and Wales’.

The self-completion modules on drinking behaviour, drugs and stolen goods are subject to restrictive controlled data access conditions - see SN 7280.

Police recorded crime figures by Police Force Area and Community Safety Partnership areas (which equate in the majority of instances, to local authorities).

This statistic shows the number of young people found guilty of drug offences in England and Wales in 2018/19, by age group. For the ages 15-17 there were ***** young offenders who were sentenced for such crimes.

The What Worked? Policy Mobility and the Public Health Approach to Youth Violence study sought to further the ESRC's strategic objective of a 'safer, fairer society' through establishing a new evidence-base on public health approaches to violence reduction, and the ways such policies transfer between jurisdictions, to shape policy, guide best practice, and inform academic and public debate. Its main aim was to respond to the urgent social problem of rising youth violence. England and Wales have seen marked increases in homicide, knife crime, and hospital admissions for stab wounds, with particular concentrations in the city of London. Cressida Dick, when Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, stated that tackling youth violence was her 'number one priority.'

In March 2019, UK Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled a consultation on a new public health strategy for youth violence. This approach, which seeks to address violence using principles of prevention and education rather than policing and justice, marks a major step-change in policy. The interest in developing this approach stems primarily from Scotland, where radical reductions in violent crime over the last decade have been attributed to the adoption of a public health model. There was however a lack of clear understanding of 'what worked' in the Scottish context. While there have indeed been marked declines in youth violence, the mechanisms that have driven this decrease are poorly understood. There is confusion over what public health approaches are, how they work, and the conditions under which such ideas can travel. As a result, despite significant potential, the implications of the public health approach remain vague.

This study was delivered in a three work-streams approach, over a three-year period:

1. What Worked
Through interviews with elite actors/professionals - senior police, politicians, and civil servants - the research team aimed to establish an expert appraisal of the causes of violence reduction in Scotland. This was complemented by a detailed documentary analysis, investigating the social, political, and cultural conditions in which violence reduction occurred, and a series of 20 semi-structured interviews with practitioners and residents of communities affected by violence to establish a 'bottom-up' account of change. Finally, available statistical data on violence and health was leveraged to triangulate explanations. These data sources were combined to produce a policy briefing, two journal articles, and a short film on the theme of 'what worked'.

2. Policy Travels
Using flexible and responsive ethnographic methods, the research team aimed to track the evolution of the public health approach in London as it evolved in real-time, entering the 'assumptive worlds' of policy through attendance at key meetings and events. Observations were complemented by a series of semi-structured interviews with elite actors engaged in violence reduction in London, and 20 semi-structured interviews with residents and youth practitioners, exploring the factors that promote or impede change. Mirroring data-collection in Scotland, relevant statistical data was used to evaluate the extent to which policy changes are impacting on violence reduction. These data were used to produce a second policy briefing, two journal articles, and a series of podcasts on 'how ideas travel'.

3. Connecting Communities
Data from these work-streams will be connected via an open access data set to enhance understanding of best practice in violence reduction. Data will be analysed and published as an academic monograph aimed at scholars working in the areas of criminology, public health and social policy. Through our advisory group and engagement with policy user-groups, the research team will engage directly with policy actors at the highest level, and using cooperative methods will create a practitioner toolkit. Communities of policy, practice and public will be connected through a website, a series of events and a roadshow.

Further information and outputs can be found on the UKRI What Worked? Policy Mobility and the Public Health Approach to Youth Violence project page.

The UKDS study currently includes 127 qualitative interview transcripts, drawn from policy-makers and community participants. See the 'Data List' in the documentation for more details.

Annual data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). Data include when and where incidents happened, information about offenders, the victim's perception of the incident, and who they reported the incident to.

Young people are those aged 10-17. The young offenders cohort is established during the period January to March and includes all those receiving a pre-court disposal (reprimand or final warning) or a first-tier or community penalty or who are released from custody. This cohort is then tracked for 12 months to determine the total number of offences committed by those in the cohort. A reoffence is counted if it occurs within the 12 month tracking period and leads to a pre-court disposal or a court conviction, even if the pre-court disposal or court conviction occurs outside the 12 month period. By knowing the total number of reoffences and the total number of young people in the cohort, the average rate of reoffending can be calculated. All offences will count even if two or more offences are grouped for sentencing purposes and result in only one pre-court disposal or court conviction.

This survey was conducted in parallel with the BRITISH CRIME SURVEY, 1992 (ICPSR 6717) in the same households among the age group 12-15. The survey covers victimization out of the home, contacts with the police, and self-reported offending. The questions replicate the adult version as much as possible. Respondents were asked a series of screening questions to establish whether they had been victims of crime during the reference period, and another series of detailed questions about the incidents they reported. Basic descriptive background information was also collected on the respondent. Other information was elicited on fear of crime, contact with the police, lifestyle, and self-reported offending. The unit of analysis for this collection is the individual.

Estimates from the sources of support and personal safety module of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) on young people aged 16- to 29-year-olds perceptions and experiences of violence and who they trust.