Should we trust crime figures?
I can describe where crime figures come from and evaluate their trustworthiness.
Should we trust crime figures?
I can describe where crime figures come from and evaluate their trustworthiness.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- All crimes that are reported must be recorded as either crime or non-crime incidents.
- There are two ways in which crime is recorded, via police data and crime surveys.
- Crime figures are not necessarily always accurate as not all crime is reported.
- The media can impact perception of crime and therefore crime reporting.
Keywords
NCRS - National Crime Recording Standards; principles that ensure police record all reported crimes accurately and consistently across the UK
Crime survey - an interview that asks people about their experiences of crime, including those not reported to the police
Media - television, radio, social media and printed media which can reach a large number of people
Common misconception
Crime figures are 100% accurate.
Not all crime is reported, so crime figures can only provide an estimate.
To help you plan your year 10 citizenship lesson on: Should we trust crime figures?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 citizenship lesson on: Should we trust crime figures?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the What can we do to reduce crime? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
principles that ensure police record all reported crimes accurately
an interview that asks people about their experiences of crime
television, radio, social media and printed media