For a Freedom of Information specialist and data journalist like me the reporting of all issues replated to crime is made easier thanks to the blizzard of statistics collected on the topic by a whole range of government agencies.

First there are the police forces who keep copious amounts of data on every crime that has been committed, where and when it was committed, whether they found a culprit and then what if any punishment was meted out to them.

The Home Office then sits above the police forces collating a huge amount of data from them but also monitoring their performance in relation to things like recruitment, retention, and complaints.

Then there is the Ministry of Justice which has responsibility for the court system, the legal process and the prisons.