1. Task force on Crime data availability
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

2. Eurostat Working Group, statistics on crime and criminal justice
Mandate of the Working Group includes the option: “To identify specific tasks within the European Statistical System relevant to the Action Plan for delegation to task forces, and to propose the mandates and members of such task forces.”
Two task forces are currently operational
Victimisation (met June 2007)
Crime data availability (met 6-7 November 2008)
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

3. Mandate of the task force on crime data availability (1)
To review the discussions of the Expert Group on the policy needs for data on crime and criminal justice, and to identify matters of specific relevance to the activities of the Working Group for Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice
To identify which indicators developed by the Expert Group might readily be provided on the basis of existing data which are statistically reliable, and to discuss methods of collecting these data
To identify indicators developed by the Expert Group for which no statistical data currently exists, and to suggest methods of obtaining such data or proxy data .
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

4. Mandate of the task force on crime data availability (2)
To examine quality aspects of the available data and propose improvements where these seem necessary
To suggest changes in the interest of improving the efficiency of the data collection
To propose measures for co-ordinating the data collection with similar international exercises
To assist in the preparation of meetings of the Working Group for Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics, specifically in identifying topics for the agenda and developing documents for discussion
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

5. First priority : money-laundering
Specifically referred to in the Action Plan (Objective 5.5)
Included in the list of crime types in Council Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA (European Arrest Warrant)
Indicators were proposed by sub-group on Financial Crime
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

6. Data collection process
Eurostat Working Group 7-8 February 2008 agreed on pilot collection of money-laundering data
Eurostat made formal request for data to contact points in Member States/candidate countries/EFTA
Eurostat provided contact points with details of Financial Intelligence Units in their country
Task force examined the results of this exercise, November 2008
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

7. Examination of results
Replies received from 25 MSs, plus 7 EFTA/CCs
Most replies included detailed commentary on the figures
In some cases, great difficulties or delays reported in contacting Financial Intelligence Units or Customs Offices
Nearly all MSs provided data on Suspicious Transaction Reports.
About a third were able to provide some information for most other items in the Reporting/Intelligence and the Investigation stages
For the Judicial stage, half of the MSs provided data on "third party" money laundering and sentences by type and length and a third for "self laundering" and confiscation procedures. For the other items, data was only available from a few MSs
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

8. Conclusions of task force
The data obtained are not publishable in their current form
Members of Working Group and Expert Group to be invited to provide comments with a view to improving data quality
The Money-Laundering Sub-group should be invited to examine the data and the report of the task force
The proposed list of indicators should then be refined and amended taking into account the findings of the Task Force
In particular, the Sub-group should study the need for guidelines and definitions
A further data collection exercise can then be attempted, and the task force will examine whether these data are sufficiently statistically reliable for publication
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

9. Areas in which Expert Group sub-groups are currently working
Financial crime (including money-laundering and corruption)
Trafficking in human beings
Criminal justice
Police co-operation (just starting)
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice

10. Thank you for your attention
20 February 2009
Working Group, Statistics on Crime and Criminal Justice