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Crime data at the UK Data Service

The UK Data Service is home to numerous high quality crime-related datasets, which provide essential insights to help central government, local authorities, charities, law enforcement, academics and researchers to develop more effective policies that address crime-related issues. In the run-up to our upcoming Crime Surveys User Conference 2021, 2 December 2021, we take a look at the data resources available via our data catalogue and announce a new addition to our suite of interactive data skills modules.

Our upcoming Crime Surveys User Conference 2021 offers an opportunity to hear from eminent crime researchers and data specialists from the ONS and Scottish government. This free, online conference is a space for networking with fellow professionals with an interest in crime data. It features an update on the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey from Anna Saunders, Katrina Caldwell and Jocelyn Hickey from the Scottish Government. Catherine Grant and Joe Traynor from the ONS will also be providing their insights on the latest results and future plans for the CSEW.

Meanwhile, our workshop on mapping crime data in R takes place on 1 December, which focuses on how to link statistical data to spatial data to create striking visualisations. The workshop will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel which enables anyone to watch this live though all bookable places have now been taken. A recorded version will be available following the event. Materials for the mapping crime data workshop are available on GitHub along with materials from our previous workshop in which we used R to explore and visualise crime data.

We provide access to key crime survey datasets for the UK as well as qualitative data to do with the public perception of crime and victim experience. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks randomly-selected adults details about whether they have been a victim of a crime in the previous 12 months. This survey is produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and plays an important role in informing government policy, as does the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS). Meanwhile, the Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) provides a source of information on crime and crime-related issues as they affect businesses in England and Wales. You can browse all these datasets related to crime, using our data catalogue.

We are also delighted to announce that our online series of data skills modules now offers training on exploring crime surveys with R. Further materials of use to the crime data researcher within our learning hub include our guide to using survey data which is a guide for students who want to use survey data in their dissertation.

More information

Full programme, including details of all the invited speakers and scheduled presentations.

Book your place at the UKDS Crime Surveys User Conference

Follow the conference on Twitter: #UKDSCrime21.