Counting Rules for recorded crime

We apply the Counting Rules across nine categories of recorded crime. Download any of the categories below for a breakdown of the offences in each and explanations of how they are classified.

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The Home Office Counting Rules provide a national standard for the recording and counting of ‘notifiable’ offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales (known as ’recorded crime’).

We revised the Rules to take account of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), which was adopted on 1 April 2002, with the aim of recording crime in a more victim-focused way and maintaining greater consistency between police forces in the recording of crime.

Working groups consult and develop policy on crime recording, they include members from:

  • Home Office
  • police forces
  • Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
  • Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC)
  • Crown Prosecution Service
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