Common Questions about Problems with Baseline Data

How can baselines be set for crimes that are under-reported or under-recorded so that available information is unreliable?

This is a common problem when setting baselines for crimes such as racially motivated crime, homophobic crime or domestic violence, and demonstrates the importance of establishing a ‘basket’ of baseline measures. For instance, for domestic violence, baselines might be set that include: numbers of recorded crimes; levels of reporting; number of incidents of domestic violence recorded by A&E departments; and, number of housing transfers where domestic violence is a cause.

How can baselines be set where the crime reduction impact of a strategy or initiative will not be evident in the short-term?

This is a common problem when setting baselines for criminality reduction initiatives that focus on young people. The solution is to establish baselines in relation to intermediate outcomes that can be measured in the shorter term. For instance, for a school-based crime reduction project that aims to reduce criminality in the long term, baselines might be set for intermediate outcomes that would act as a shorter-term indicator of a long-term impact. Such intermediate outcomes might include: rates of truancy; rates of school exclusion; levels of educational attainment; and, levels of attendance.

What happens if an agency changes its recording practices?

Where possible avoid this possibility by checking that the chosen data will continue to be collected in the same way and using the same definitions. This might be a role assigned to individuals within different agencies who take responsibility for providing data to partners. Where changes in recording practices do occur (a good example is the changes to recorded crime definitions that occurred in 1998-9), ensure good communication between partners to spot such problems early. Then, establish shadow baselines for a suitable period of time so that data collected before and after the change is still comparable (police forces did this at the time of changes to the counting rules).

For further information on baseline data see the Audit Commission's community safety website http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/comsafe/3_3.html

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