Quizzes & Puzzles0 min ago
Crime Statistics
Was the Prime Minister right to exclude fraud figures in the latest crime stats in order to make the claim that crime figures had gone down by 14% (instead of UP by the same figure)?
https:/
https:/
Answers
Judging by Boris's perfomance since he became PM. He had no option other than to exclude Fraud figures.
16:11 Mon 07th Feb 2022
Ellipsis
Playing devil's advocate here - when interviewed by Sophie Raworth earlier, Kwasi Kwateng said that the prime minister had been talking about “crime that people experience in their day-to-day lives”, which “in terms of burglary, in terms of physical injury, has gone down”.
Seems weak.
If I'd been the victim of fraud I would expect to be included as a victim of crime.
Playing devil's advocate here - when interviewed by Sophie Raworth earlier, Kwasi Kwateng said that the prime minister had been talking about “crime that people experience in their day-to-day lives”, which “in terms of burglary, in terms of physical injury, has gone down”.
Seems weak.
If I'd been the victim of fraud I would expect to be included as a victim of crime.
A common victim of fraud is small businesses. Many small businesses had to switch to an online model during Covid.
If somebody walked into their shop and shoplifted an item, that's theft. If somebody uses a fraudulent credit card to get an item, that's fraud. Same theft, different means because of Covid ... and the old method would be in the crime figures, the new method wouldn't. Except it in fact it IS in the crime figures, but then the PM took it out!!!
If somebody walked into their shop and shoplifted an item, that's theft. If somebody uses a fraudulent credit card to get an item, that's fraud. Same theft, different means because of Covid ... and the old method would be in the crime figures, the new method wouldn't. Except it in fact it IS in the crime figures, but then the PM took it out!!!
Kwasi Kwateng’s defence of this (in am interview with Sophie Raworth) is hilarious.
If you didn’t know better you’d swear it was an outtake from The Thick of It.
From 1min 20secs onwards.
https:/
It’s like Kwasi has seen Nadine’s interviews and said, “Hold my coat…”
If you didn’t know better you’d swear it was an outtake from The Thick of It.
From 1min 20secs onwards.
https:/
It’s like Kwasi has seen Nadine’s interviews and said, “Hold my coat…”
Crime in terms of physical injury went down at a time when people weren't allowed out to pubs and football matches ... wow, claim some credit for that, why don't you?
And crime in terms of fraud ... that doesn't count. Which explains why they're not making much of a fuss over the NHS contracts, the furlough claims, etc etc ...
And crime in terms of fraud ... that doesn't count. Which explains why they're not making much of a fuss over the NHS contracts, the furlough claims, etc etc ...
No he wasn’t right to exclude it - but was he aware of it? He’d obviously been given the figure by the appropriate government department so knowing full well that his every move is being scrutinised - and criticised - at the moment it’s highly unlikely that he would deliberately misquote published statistics.
From the ONS.
Estimates from the TCSEW for the year ending September 2021 compared with the pre-coronavirus year ending September 20192 show:
- a 14% increase in total crime, driven by a 47% increase in fraud and computer misuse
- crime excluding fraud and computer misuse decreased by 14%, largely driven by an 18% decrease in theft offences
https:/
Estimates from the TCSEW for the year ending September 2021 compared with the pre-coronavirus year ending September 20192 show:
- a 14% increase in total crime, driven by a 47% increase in fraud and computer misuse
- crime excluding fraud and computer misuse decreased by 14%, largely driven by an 18% decrease in theft offences
https:/
