'Rebuild trust' call over crime figures

Figures outlining the number of arrests and offences rarely match up with separate statistics covering the sanctions imposed on criminals after they are caught by police.

Officials said the Government must take a more joined-up approach to complex crime figures to create an overview of what is happening to those in the criminal justice system.

The recommendation was included in a review published yesterday aimed at rebuilding the tattered image of crime statistics for England and Wales.

Sir Michael Scholar, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said more must be done to end deep mistrust of how crime figures are used.

He said national statistician Jil Matheson should publish a regular commentary on crime figure trends to further public understanding.

He rejected a call to pass responsibility for crime figures from the Home Office to the Office for National Statistics.

Sir Michael said: "There are two main statistical sources on crime, the crime figures recorded by the police and the results of the British Crime Survey.

"Both have known weaknesses but these are mostly intrinsic and unavoidable.

"It is the job of professional statisticians in government to filter the signal from the noise and explain the results in a way that is trusted.

"Having two different sources can undoubtedly cause confusion but the answer is not to change either of them fundamentally.

"The two sets of statistics throw different lights on the incidence and experience of crime, and we need both of them."