Definitions
Recorded Crimes
An incident will be recorded as a crime if, on the balance of probability the circumstances as reported amount to a crime defined by law and there is no credible evidence to the contrary.
Detections
There are two types of detections - Sanction detections and Administrative detections. This measure includes both categories.
Sanction Detections
Sanction detections can be defined as those where an offender has been charged, cautioned, reported for summons, reprimanded, the offence has been taken into consideration or where a fixed penalty notice has been issued in relation to a notifiable offence. The other type of detections are administrative detections which can be defined as situations where police have gathered sufficient evidence to charge someone but charges are not brought, eg. where the accused person/key witness has died or is seriously ill, or to proceed with the case would not be in the best interests of the public.
These descriptions are intended as a guide only and are not complete definitions. For more detailed information, please visit the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/countgeneral05.pdf