Recorded crime

General

Crime that has been recorded by the police in accordance with the Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) for Recorded Crime. Forces are obliged to record a crime when: there is a report from a victim (or their representative), or the police discover the offence themselves; and the circumstances, as reported, amount to a crime in law; and there is no credible evidence to the contrary.

In practice

Accurate crime recording is subject to HMICFRS inspection. Under-recording distorts the crime picture and affects resource allocation. The National Crime Recording Standard requires forces to take a victim-focused approach to recording. Certain offences are classified as notifiable offences and must be included in national crime statistics.

Related terms

Notifiable offence
NFA

Last updated 24 September 2026