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  • MEPO 361990-1997Metropolitan Police: Crime Statistics Database

    The datasets derived from the Metropolitan Police's Crime Statistics System (known within the Metropolitan Police by the code 'ME') contain data relating to crimes reported within the Metropolitan Police District which were input to the Crime Statistics System between 1990 and 1997.

    The datasets derived from the ME Crime Statistics System fall into the following categories:

    • Datasets for the years 1990-1992, where the division between one year and the next is based on a calendar year. Each of these datasets comprises two flat files: a year end extract file (YTDEXTRACT), consisting of data relating to offences, clear-ups, arrests and victims input during that year; and a year end 'No Crime' extract file (YTDNOCREXT) holding data on allegations classed as 'No Crime', also input during the year in question.
    • Datasets for 1992-1993, 1993-1994 and 1994 where the division between one year and the next is based on a financial year. The 1994 dataset does not include a 'No Crime' file.
    • Datasets for 1994-1995 and 1995-1997, again based on a financial year, with the second including two years' worth of data. Each dataset comprises a single YTDEXTRACT file which reflects changes to the ME System to allow for compatibility with the Crime Report Information System (CRIS).
    • A final dataset is believed to correspond to the data in the ME database at the end of the System's lifespan. It includes data which was input to the system between February 1992 and March 1997.

    It is thought that the ME datasets originated in 'year-to-date' files which were produced as a cumulative record of data input to the database each year. They were updated on a monthly basis with data extracted from the database, and were 'archived' at the end of the calendar or financial year.

    Calendar year datasets for 1990-1992; financial year datasets for 1992-1994: These datasets predate the changes to the structure of the ME System which were made to accommodate CRIS. Each consists of a year end extract (YTDEXTRACT) file and a 'No Crime' extract file (YTDNOCREXT).

    The YTDEXTRACT files contain the following types of information relating to offences, clear-ups, arrests and crime victims:

    • The record type: i.e. whether the record contains details of an offence which has been reported but not cleared up, an offence which has been cleared up, a clear-up not connected with a previously recorded offence, an arrest, or a victim of crime.
    • Classifications of the type of crime according to the classification schemes used by the Home Office (known as 'HO classes') and the Metropolitan Police (known as 'CO classes').
    • The type of Metropolitan Police Crime Report Book in which the paper crime report was filed; the serial number of the crime report within the Crime Book.
    • When the crime took place: the date that the offence was reported or that the arrest was reported; the hour of the day and day of the week when the offence occurred; and the year and month when the details were input to the database.
    • Where the crime took place.
    • The manner in which the offence came to the attention of the police.
    • Details of the commission of the offence: i.e. any means of attack, weapon and means of getaway used; the number of attackers; any relationship between the victim and the attacker; the type of any drug involved; the nature and value of stolen property; the value of recovered property; whether the vehicle was recovered (in the case of crimes involving vehicles); and the number of times that stolen cheques or credit cards were used (in the case of offences of obtaining by deception).
    • The number of victims of the offence and of prisoners held.
    • In the case of arrests: the manner in which the arrest occurred; the type of police officer who made the arrest; the nature of any proceedings against the prisoner; the age, sex, and ethnicity of the prisoner; whether the prisoner was bailed; and whether the prisoner had previously been convicted of an offence.
    • In the case of victims of crime: the age, sex and ethnicity of the victim and the nature of any injuries sustained.

    More limited details are entered in the year end 'No Crime' extract files (YTDNOCREXT), which only hold data on allegations classed as 'No Crime':

    • The record type.
    • The type of Metropolitan Police Crime Report Book in which the paper crime report of the 'No Crime' was filed (this acts as a broad classification of the allegation: e.g. burglary, cheque fraud, shoplifting); the serial number of the crime report within the Crime Book.
    • Classifications of the type of 'No Crime' allegation according to the classification schemes used by the Home Office (known as 'HO classes') and the Metropolitan Police (known as 'CO classes').
    • The date that the 'No Crime' allegation was reported, and the year and month that the data was input to the database.
    • Where the 'No Crime' allegation was reported.

    Financial year datasets for 1994-1997; final database: These datasets reflect changes to the structure of the ME System which were apparently made in 1994-1995 to facilitate concurrent running with CRIS. There are a number of fundamental differences to previous versions of the database:

    • 'No crime' data is recorded along with data relating to offences, arrests, clear-ups and crime victims in a single extract file (YTDEXTRACT in the case of 1994-1995 and 1995-1997, DBEXTRACT in the case of the final database extract). These files are slightly smaller than the YTDEXTRACT files in previous datasets, in terms of the number of fields (60 fields versus 65). Different field names are employed than in the preceding datasets, though in the majority of cases there was no change in fields' functions.
    • Crimes and 'no crimes' are no longer classified according to the Metropolitan Police's crime classification system ('CO classes'); only the Home Office classification scheme is employed.
    • There are fields recording detailed classifications of the 'venue' (location) where an offence occurred (VENUE-CODE, represented as VENUE-CODE-MAJOR and VENUE-CODE-MINOR), and any vehicle or plant involved in an offence (VEHICLE-CODE), which do not appear in the earlier datasets.
    • Types of stolen property are classified in greater detail than in the earlier datasets, with four fields (PROPERTY-1, PROPERTY-2 etc) set aside for stolen property details.

    The datasets in this series are available to download. Links to individual datasets can be found at piece level.