15 EU strategy to measure crime and criminal
justice
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12345/06
COM(06) 437
| Commission Communication : Developing a comprehensive and coherent strategy to measure crime and criminal justice: an EU Action Plan 2006-2010
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| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 7 August 2006
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| Deposited in Parliament | 6 September 2006
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| Department | Home Office |
| Basis of consideration | EM of 20 September 2006
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (26642) 9997/05 :HC 34-v (2005-06), para 8 (12 October 2005), and (25730) 10249/04: HC 38-iv (2004-05), para 17 (19 January 2005).
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| To be discussed in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
15.1 At a conference held in Dublin in December 2003, a declaration
was agreed which calls for the elaboration of a "comprehensive
system of European crime statistics" and for the coordination
of an "EU Crime Statistics Strategy". The objective
of this strategy would be to provide the information necessary
to analyse trends, assess risks, evaluate measures and "benchmark"
performance. The Hague Programme, which the previous Committee
considered on 19 January 2005, and which was agreed on 3 March
2005, welcomed the Commission's initiative for collecting, analysing
and comparing information on crime and its trends in Member States
using national statistics and other sources of information.
15.2 The Commission's communication on "Developing
a Strategic Concept on Tackling Organised Crime", which we
recommended for debate in the European Standing Committee on 12
October 2005,[44] also
refers to the development of proposals by the Commission for the
harmonisation of statistics about crime and criminal justice.
The Commission's communication
15.3 The Commission communication argues that one
of the "main deficiencies" in the "area of freedom,
security and justice" is the lack of reliable and comparable
statistical information. It refers to the difficulties of comparing
national statistics and advocates a dual approach of collecting
national statistics and having them "quality-assessed",
with the development, over time , of "truly EU-level comparable
statistics".
15.4 The Communication suggests that an expert group
should be established to support the Commission in identifying
policy needs for data on crime and criminal justice. In addition,
the Commission suggests that, in order to create the basis for
harmonised statistics, new Framework Decisions, directives or
regulations which include measures to fight crime by adopting
common definitions or agreements should also contain a requirement
to produce statistics in a form "adapted to the practices
of the European Statistical System".
15.5 A series of tables attached to the Communication
list a number of activities to be undertaken by the Commission
with the Member States and Eurostat, and which include coordination
with Council of Europe and UN bodies, the possible development
of common methodologies for collecting data and measurements of
particular types of cross-border crime.
The Government's view
15.6 In her Explanatory Memorandum of 20 September
2006 the Minister of State at the Home Office (Baroness Scotland
of Asthal) welcomes the Commission's initiative as part of its
"focus on evidence based policy and particularly an improvement
in the knowledge base for criminal justice policy". The Minister
explains that UK officials have been involved in the production
of the action plan and are also members of the international bodies
being consulted on these issues.
15.7 The Minister adds this further comment:
"European Union Directors of Social Statistics
have agreed that Eurostat should commence work in line with the
proposals in the Action Plan. This currently covers the areas
of victimisation surveys, crime and prison statistics and the
monitoring of organised crime. An initial collection by Eurostat
of police crime and prison statistics form Member States (including
candidate and accession countries) has commenced for publication
later this year following the format used by the Home Office in
published reports (the latest International Comparisons of criminal
justice statistics 2001 : Home Office Statistical Bulletin 12/03)."
Conclusion
15.8 In our view, any measures which ensure that
proposals for EU action in the field of criminal justice
are based on demonstrable need are to be encouraged. We
therefore welcome the communication, in particular its reference
to coordinating work at EU level with that carried out by the
Council of Europe and UN bodies.
15.9 We now clear the document.
44 The debate took place on 8 December 2005. Back
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