Seasonality in recorded crime: preliminary findings RDS OLR 02/07



This report contains preliminary findings of analysis to identify seasonal patterns in police recorded crime.

Twenty-five of the 29 crime types tested showed evidence of seasonal patterns. Each crime type shows a different seasonal pattern but they can be grouped into three main themes:

• Peaks in the summer months and troughs in the winter months
• Peaks in the winter months and troughs in the summer months
• Regular peaks and troughs each year which are not led by the seasons.