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Local safety and victimisation surveys as data source for evidence-based prevention policies

Title of the book:
The crime data handbook.

Authors:

  • Marta Murrià Sangenís (Institut Metròpoli)
  • Cristina Sobrino Garcés (Institut Metròpoli)
  • Jose Maria López Riba (Institut Metròpoli)

[*] Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Date of realization:
04/2024

Publishing house: 
Bristol University Press

ISBN:
978-1529232042

Resume:

The use of crime data sources is crucial both for the implementation of evidence-based policies and for understanding crime and its patterns. Crime recorded by the police has long been the main source of data used by policy makers as well as researchers. However, these data have also been subject to criticism due to the measurement error derived, above all, from under-reporting. In response to this concern, victimization surveys are a reliable source of data for estimating crime in geographic areas. When the scope is local, surveys provide data to estimate crime occurring in certain urban areas. While measuring and analyzing crime patterns is a relevant topic, we argue that it is also essential for prevention policies to use data sources that provide information on community feelings of safety and indicators of safety. Local victimization surveys are one of the main sources of data dealing with these issues. By reviewing important and long-term surveys that provide data at the local level, the chapter sets out how these surveys are a useful tool to support local and regional authorities in the design, implementation and evaluation of their prevention and safety policies.

Read the chapter Local safety and victimisation surveys as data source for evidence-based prevention policies of the book The crime data handbook.

Murrià Sangenís, M. [Marta]; Sobrino Garcés, C. [Cristina]; López Riba, J M. [Jose Maria]. (2024). Local safety and victimisation surveys as data source for evidence-based prevention policies. The crime data handbook. (). Bristol University Press.
https://www.institutmetropoli.cat/capitol-llibre/local-safety-and-victimisation-surveys-as-data-source-for-evidence-based-prevention-policies-3/