1.0 Introduction to the Measurement of Crime
By measurement of crime, we mean the statistics of crimes committed in the society in a certain period of time 1. We are interested in knowing how crimes are perceived and recorded and the establishment of the official and unofficial records of crime 1. This helps to acknowledge the volume, nature, character and trends of crime committed in a particular society 1.
2.0 The Concept of Crime Statistics
Measurement of crime today is more complex and more modern than in earlier times 2. Crime statistics is the basic and official instrument for the measurement of crimes 2.
Definition: By crime statistics, we mean the uniform data on offence and offenders expressed in numerical terms 2.
Derivation: It is derived by official agencies like the police, prisons, courts, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Customs, Immigration, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) etc. 2.
Utility: These numerical data are often tabulated, classified and analysed in order to establish relationship between or among the classes of offences recorded 2. It helps us to understand the distribution of persons in crime in different areas of the society 2.
Primary Source: Criminologists usually begin by looking at the figure provided for crimes known to the police 2.
The Nigerian Context: Data based on police records in recent times in Nigeria showed an unprecedented crime wave, especially in the areas of kidnapping and terrorism 2. Examples include the terrorism activities of the Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria (Maiduguri, Abuja, Zubwa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano and Suleja) 2.
3.0 Official Crime Statistics
Official crime statistics are primarily obtained from prisons, police and the court 2.
A. Sources and Indicators
Traditional Sources: Prisons, police, and the court record a high level of the patterns of criminality 2.
Other Sources: Customs, Immigration, FRSC, ICPC, EFCC, NAPTIP, records of juvenile institutions, and census data from state or Federal statistics 2.
Nature of Records: Official Records are indicators of criminal activities brought to the notice of the criminal justice system and the actions taken in respect of reported incidents 3.
B. Clearance Rates and Police Effectiveness
Offences Cleared Up: Each year, statistics give figures for offences cleared up, expressed as a proportion of the offices known in relation to the total volume of serious offences 3. These are regarded as an indication of police efficiency or effectiveness 3.
Definition of "Cleared Up": An offence is cleared up if the person has been arrested, summoned and prosecuted 3.
Juvenile Offenders: If the offence was committed by a child under the age of criminal responsibility, they must be cautioned 3.
C. Weaknesses of Official Statistics
Official statistics are often incomplete due to several factors:
Dark Figures: These are unreported crimes 2.
Grey Figures: These are reported but unrecorded crimes and the manipulation of records to satisfy political or institutional interests 2.
Example: The case of Senator Mrs. Bose Bello-Obasanjo in 2008, alleged to be involved in a N10 million bribe while chairperson of the Health Committee; the case was manipulated 2, 3.
Skill and Resource Gaps: In Nigeria, weaknesses include a lack of necessary skills and resources for statistical and information management and a lack of effective planning, monitoring and evaluations of information 3.
4.0 Unofficial Crime Statistics
Criminologists use unofficial sources due to doubts concerning the reliability, validity and utility of official statistics 3. The aim is to compliment the official sources to create greater utility 3.
A. Direct Observation
Process: Researchers/criminologists participate individually to observe and record events as they occur 3.
Purpose: To have a deeper understanding and gain greater insight into groups 3, 4.
Focus: This is mainly conducted in victimless offences such as gambling, prostitution, and homosexuality 4.
B. Weighting of Crime
Process: A questionnaire is sent to members of society to respond to and give feedback on grievous crime 4.
Ranking: The most serious offence will be ranked the highest mark and the least serious offence will be ranked the lowest mark 4. This weight indicates the seriousness of the crime 4.
C. Self-Report Studies (Crime Surveys)
Process: Involves the study of a sample of a population via questionnaire to investigate types and numbers of crimes committed (usually in the past year) 4.
Focus: It examines whether or not the crime has been detected or reported to the police 4. These are often conducted on juveniles in schools based on the assumption that children are delinquent 4.
Weaknesses:
Questionnaires contain more questions on minor crimes (which respondents are comfortable with) but avoid serious and sensitive crimes 4.
Respondents may not accurately recall criminal activities 4.
Respondents tend to under report serious crimes 4.
D. Victim-Surveys
Focus: Concerned with the scientific study of victims of crime (Victimology) 4. It focuses on scientific analyses of patterns, regularities and causal factors 4.
Process: Measures the extent and pattern of victimisation in a community or nation via questionnaire 5.
Pioneers: Benjamin Mendelsohn and Heng Von Hentig 5.
Deficiencies: Includes the inability of respondents to accurately report events during the period covered 5.
5.0 Hidden Criminality and "Ice-berg" Crimes
Criminologists are highly interested in hidden criminality, often referred to as the "dark – number" of offences which do not appear in crime figures 5.
Ice-berg Crime: A situation where a large proportion of offences lies beneath the surface and are never revealed or recorded 5.
Composition: These consist of unreported, unknown, undetected and unrecorded crimes 5.
Impact: Their existence means that statistics produced by the police, prisons, and courts are not true and do not reflect the accurate extent of criminal activities and victimisation 5.
Nigerian Examples: Sexual offences (rape) and bribery are considered the most hidden criminality from view in Nigeria 5.