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7 comments

[–] PMYA 2 points (+2|-0)

Solved crimes show the ratio between the number of police-recorded crimes where the offender has received a formal sanction of some kind, and the total number of crimes recorded in the time period covered. Formal sanctions (punishments) include things like being charged, fined, or cautioned, but do not include solved crimes where less formal routes have been used - such as restorative justice or a community resolution.

Taken from here.

Using this definition, a minor crime that would result in the perpetrator not being charged with anything is still a crime, but it does not fit into the "solved" category, so there are solved crimes that do not get added into the statistics. You also have to consider that not all recorded crimes are actually crimes. That is, if it became apparent what actually happened in an instance of reported crime, there may not be any charges or sanctions given, which would disqualify it as being a crime that could be "solved".

Here is an example of the way these definitions are ignored by the media.

With only a million of the 3.5 million crimes recorded in England and Wales during 2013/14 ending in a conviction, that means 71% of crimes go unpunished.

[–] jobes [OP] 1 points (+1|-0)

And the chances of criminals getting away with wrong-doing on public transport is even higher with only 13% of crimes resolved by British Transport Police

How is there that much crime on your public transport? I've seen a drunk af guy thrown off a greyhound bus once and saw some people thrown off the train for not having a ticket...but that's it in a decade of frequently taking public transport in California.

[–] PMYA 1 points (+1|-0)

BTP are not just responsible for public transport, they are also involved with the channel tunnel, for instance. There are areas within their jurisdiction that are also within the jurisdiction of other police forces too, so it isn't clear if a crime "solved" by a force in a certain area would mean that it was not solved by the BTP.

Match days in London with legal drinking on trains probably doesn't help with the statistics either.

[–] jobes [OP] 0 points (+0|-0)

They banned drinking on some trains out here for a while because people would get blackout drunk going to and from baseball games. They brought it back because they were losing a lot of money. Hell, they even give you free wine in business class now.