Joyce (2001: 51) Gives Further Evidence Of The Extent Of The Dark Figure

Joyce (2001: 51) gives further evidence of the extent of the dark figure that has been provided by the BCS. 'In 1992 it was estimated that incomplete reporting and recording resulted in only about 30 per cent of crimes being officially recorded. It was later suggested that 16.4 million crimes had been committed in 1997, whereas the official statistics stated that, in the 12 months which ended in March 1998, only 4.5 million crimes had been committed' (Home Office, 1998a). These figures provide some insight into the extent of the 'dark figure' of crime, and pose serious questions as to the usefulness of official criminal statistics. There are a number of problems related to the reliability of using victimization surveys, incidents may be reported that took place outside the period which is currently being surveyed. Alternatively, victims often forget details and minor offences that may have taken place during this period, and sometimes victims are unable to recognize that a crime has taken place. Victimisation studies also fail to take into account what are deemed as victimless crimes and crimes that are un-observed or undetected. Despite their many weaknesses, victimization surveys do provide important information on certain crimes, and bring to light many incidents that are not reported to and recorded by the police.
In conclusion there are a number of difficulties related to the dark figure of criminal offences. Many decisions made by policy makers and much public opinion on crime are heavily influenced by the information provided by official criminal statistics. The fact that so much of Britain's criminality goes undetected and unreported means that these statistics, which affect society as a whole, are highly unreliable and therefore, of little use. Attempts have been made to uncover the true extent of the dark figure in order to provide a more accurate reflection of the nature of crime.
Although, the introduction of self-report and victim surveys in recent years have provided a greater insight into the size and characteristics of the dark figure (and as a result can be viewed as being successful developments within the recording of crime), they do not avoid the problems involved in converting peoples reports of complex events into quantifiable data. Thus, they offer little understanding or explanation of the true nature of crimes and criminals. As Maguire (1994) argues; 'There is a tendency to present the accumulation of data about unreported crime as the gradual unveiling of more and more of the 'complete picture', the 'true total' of offences committed, when a more appropriate metaphor might be the constant repainting of a canvas of indeterminate size, with new areas highlighted and depicted in greater detail' (From Coleman and Moynihan, 1996: 20)
References
Coleman, C. & Moynihan, J. (1996) Understanding Crime Data; Haunted by the dark figure.