Attempting to Ascertain the 'Real' Cost of Crime

Attempting to ascertain the ‘real’ cost of crime will be far more difficult and resource intensive than applying unit costs to estimated crime figures (above). If such an exercise was to be undertaken it would be sensible to focus on the cost of crime to mainstream services. This was the approach taken by Stanko in her study of domestic violence in Hackney where she examined the cost of domestic violence to mainstream services such as housing (the cost of transferring tenants) and health services (the cost of providing health care). In broad terms this was also the approach taken by the Home Office (2000c) when estimating the economic and social costs of crime. Most costs included were costs to national public agencies. Estimating the costs incurred by victims (e.g. changes to quality of life, fear of crime) is extremely difficult and generally, it is not advised that local areas should attempt this type of research (see Home Office 2000c: 19-30 for a discussion of the difficulties associated with estimating costs incurred by individual victims of crime).

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