Core indicator
Policing
Recorded crimes that were successfully investigated crimes
Last updated March 2024
(March 2024)
Last reviewed: January 2025
What is this sector and how are we measuring it?
Policing is a core focus when thinking about crime and violence. The police aim to prevent and solve crimes, provide support to victims, administer out of court disposals and collaborate with other organisations to provide targeted support where necessary.
Learn more about YEF’s work within the policing sector, and the evidence-based approaches for what works in reducing violence.
We’ve used the proportion of crimes that are successfully investigated by the police as our core measure for this sector. We’ve considered a crime to be successfully investigated if it resulted in (1) a charge or summons or (2) a formal or informal out of court disposal. Investigation of crime is one of the primary duties of the police. It is also one of the key measures cited in the constabulary inspectorate’s most recent annual assessment of policing. However, it can be affected by changes in the way crime and outcomes are reported. The latest (2023/24) data was published in July 2024.
What does our core indicator show?
Overall, this measure shows a mixed picture. In 2023/24, the total number of police-recorded crimes fell 3% while the total number that resulted in a charge, summons or out of court disposal rose by 5%. This meant that the proportion of police-recorded crimes that resulted in a successful outcome increased to 9.9%. This is 0.8 percentage points higher than the previous year (2022/23) but remains down compared to 10.7% before Covid and compared to 25% 10 years ago (2013/14).