Consultation Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales 10 October 2017 Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Background The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) is a face-to-face victimisation survey in which people resident in households in England and Wales are asked about their experiences of a range of crimes in the 12 months prior to the interview Respondents to the survey are also asked about their attitudes towards different crime-related issues, such as the police and the criminal justice system and perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour In the context of public sector financial constraints, the future level of funding for the CSEW has been reduced with effect from October 2017 Therefore a range of options were identified to reduce the cost of the CSEW in 2017/18 and future years The consultation was run to seek user feedback on the impact of the potential options and inform how best to maintain the quality and usefulness of the survey data while making the required savings The proposal set out for consultation was: The removal of the following questions from the CSEW questionnaire from October 2017 All questions in the ‘Performance of the Criminal Justice System’ module, excepting those related to the performance of the police All questions in the ‘Experiences of the Criminal Justice System’ module All questions in the ‘Attitudes to the Criminal Justice System’ module Questions relating to victims’ experiences of the court system and use of victim services from the ‘Victimisation’ module The implementation of one of the following four options: Option A: Reduce CSEW response rate to 69% from October 2017 Option B: Reduce 2017/18 CSEW sample size by 1,800 households Option C: Remove additional questions from CSEW to reduce survey to core questions required to produce quarterly crime estimates Option D: Reduce target CSEW response rate to 71% from October 2017 and reduce 2017/18 CSEW sample size by 600 households Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Summary of responses We received a total of 123 responses to the consultation from academics, police forces and police and crime commissioners, local or regional government organisations, other government departments, charities and voluntary organisations We would like to thank all respondents for taking the time to respond to the consultation A list of responding organisations can be found in the annex Preferred cost saving options Overall, a majority of respondents (40%) selected Option D – reducing the response rate to 71% and the sample size by 600 - as the best option of those available for achieving the required cost savings There was an approximately equal level of support for Option B (reduced sample size only) and Option A (reduced response rate only) at 24% and 21% respectively Option C (removal of additional questions) was the least preferred option with only 11% of respondents suggesting this approach Figure 1: Respondents’ preferred CSEW cost-saving option A small number of respondents did not select any of the proposed options Of these, three were strongly opposed to the implementation of any of the proposed cost saving measures, while a further two indicated that they had no preference between the options In addition, two respondents who selected Option A or B identified Option D as their secondary preference It should be noted that several respondents commented that they had made their selection based on it being the “least harmful” of the options available rather than an approach they would endorse in other circumstances Responses to the consultation included feedback on the pros and cons on the four approaches identified as summarised in the sections below: Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Option A – Reduction in response rate (to 69%) Comments in favour of this approach included: “Minimally reducing call back does not significantly reduce accuracy” “69% is still a good response rate and sample size should be preserved” Comments against this approach included: “The worst option is that of reduction of the response rate This should not be considered without a thorough analysis of which respondents require repeated visits to respond.” “You are unable to guarantee a response rate Therefore lowering efforts may not simply result in a one-to-one relationship and the response rate may fall well below 69%.” Option B – Reduction in sample size (by 1,800) Comments in favour of this approach included: “The sample size for the CSEW is large; a reduction of the sample size would not have a major impact on its reliability.” “I think reducing sample size is probably most sensible as all you impact are confidence intervals, and these can be calculated and taken into account.” Comments against this approach included: “A high sample is necessary to get any usable data on rarer offences” “Reducing the sample size by 5% presumably has a relatively minimal effect at the national level - but given that only 650 people locally are currently surveyed we would be nervous about reductions in sample size at Force level and the potential impact on the reliability of the findings as a result.” Option C – Removing additional questions Comments in favour of this approach included: “To remain a world leading survey, the CSEW requires adequate sample size and a representative sample.” “The best option is to remove questions from the crime survey However the list of questions to be removed is problematic” Comments against this approach included: “Option C would remove a valuable source of data about trends in relation to drug use which cannot be found elsewhere.” Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales “the removal of questions would be the most damaging option for the research community” Option D – Reduction in response rate (71%) and sample size (600) Comments in favour of this approach included: “Reducing sample size and response rates seem the more suitable ways to cost-save.” “Option D would protect the wider crime-related questions in the survey, offering the best range of data for users It also minimises the changes to the target response rate and sample size by distributing impact across the two factors.” Comments against this approach included: “reducing both response rate to 71% and sample size by 600 (Option D) reduce the quality of the survey and its capture of the most vulnerable sections of the population who are most subject to victimisation, and especially repeat victimisation.” A large proportion of the feedback provided on options A and B also proved applicable to Option D as the ‘compromise’ option between the two approaches Removal of questions on the Criminal Justice System The consultation on changes to the CSEW put forward the proposal for the removal of questions related to the performance of, experiences of and attitudes to the criminal justice system as well as victims’ experiences of the court system and use of victim services These questions were previously sponsored by the Ministry of Justice A large number of responses were received that raised concerns regarding the removal of questions related to victims’ experiences of the court system and use of victim services In particular, 34 respondents (28%) specifically identified the removal of the questions on restorative justice from the 'Victimisation' module as a major concern Some comments received from respondents in relation to this issue included: “The CSEW is currently the ONLY measure of [restorative justice] use nationally, and the loss of this data would be particularly detrimental to [restorative justice] services in the UK (and ultimately to the victims we serve).” “I think it is making an unacceptable statement to remove those [questions] relating to victims - obviously victims are no longer a priority for the government.” “The removal of questions relating to victims’ experience of the criminal justice system will have an impact on our ability to understand the victim’s journey, to make improvements for victims and for PCCs and victim services to target their resources effectively.” Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Outcome After considering the consultation responses received and the key issues and impacts identified, we have used the information gathered to inform our final decisions about cost savings The necessary reductions will be achieved through changes to the survey’s sample size, response rate and questionnaire content which seeks to minimise the impact on users In particular we will: Reduce CSEW sample size for the 2017/18 survey year by 600 households and reduce the survey response rate to 71% from October 2017 (Option D) Remove the three modules of questions asked of respondents about the performance of, their experiences of and their attitudes to the criminal justice system from October 2017 Retain questions related to victims’ experiences of the court system and use of victim services included in the ‘Victimisation’ module of the CSEW that were previously proposed for removal Getting in Touch If you have any queries or comments about the consultation process, please email Simeon Bowen at ons.communications@ons.gsi.gov.uk or call 0845 601 3034 You can also write to us at the following address: Consultation Coordinator, Room 1.101 Office for National Statistics, Government Buildings, Cardiff Road, Newport, South Wales, NP10 8XG For further information on ONS consultations, please visit https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/statistics/consultationsandsurveys Follow us: Facebook TwitterLinkedIn YouTube Storify Accessibility All material relating to this consultation can be provided in braille, large print or audio formats on request British Sign Language interpreters can also be requested for any supporting events Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Annex A: Organisations which responded This list includes all organisations which responded to the consultation Independent respondents have not been separately identified Association of Youth Offending Managers (AYM) Bangor University Bristol Drugs Project Build in Belief Cambridgeshire PCC and Constabulary (joint response) Cardiff University Centre for Justice Innovation CFE Research Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs CIFAS, Ravelin, Age UK (joint response) CLEAR Cannabis Law Reform College of Policing Community of Restorative Researchers Criminal Justice Alliance Crisis Cumbria Office of Police and Crime Commissioner Decomplicate Ltd Department of Health Devon County Council DrugWise Essex County Council Essex Police and Crime Commissioners office and Essex Police Gloucestershire County Council Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Home Office Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Hounslow Youth Offending Service International Institute for Restorative Practices Khulisa Knowsley MBC Lambeth Mediation Service Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Police Lancaster University Leeds Beckett University LGBT Foundation Lincolnshire OPCC Liverpool John Moores University Local Authority London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) Mentor UK Ministry of Justice (Analytical Services Directorate) NHS Digital North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum Northamptonshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Northamptonshire Youth Offending Service Northumbria Police Northumbria University Office for the Police & Crime Commissioner for Devon & Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Office for the Victims' Commissioner Office of the PCC for Suffolk Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner West Midlands/West Midlands Police Police and Crime Commissioner, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner's Office (Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton) Police Foundation Presbyterian Church of Wales Prison Reform Trust Public Health England Quantitative & Spatial Criminology Research Group, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University Re-Solv Restorative Justice Council Restorative Solutions CIC Revolving Doors Agency Safe Lives Salus South London and Maudsley NHS trust South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner St Mungo's Surrey University The British Society of Criminology (BSC) The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Office for National Statistics Response to the ONS consultation on changes to the Crime Survey for England and Wales The Restorative Hub (Office of the Police, Crime and Victim's Commissioner for County Durham & Darlington) The University of Manchester & the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs UK Data Service Ulster University University College London University of Bath University of Essex University of Gloucestershire University of Hertfordshire University of Leeds University of Leeds (Quantitative Criminology Group) University of Oxford University of Sheffield University of Warwick and University of Oxford Violence and Society UNESCO Centre, Lancaster University Voice Restorative Northamptonshire Warwickshire County Council Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Welsh Government - Community Safety Statistics West Sussex County Council West Yorkshire OPCC West Yorkshire Police Why Me? - Victims for Restorative Justice Yorkshire Mediation Office for National Statistics 10