‘Perceptions of Electronic Monitoring: Findings from the 2013/14 to 2015/16 Northern Ireland Crime Surveys’

The Department of Justice (DOJ) today published Research and Statistical Bulletin 25/2017 ‘Perceptions of Electronic Monitoring: Findings from the 2013/14 to 2015/16 Northern Ireland Crime Surveys’. It is an Official Statistics Publication.

This bulletin is based on findings from the Northern Ireland Crime Survey (NICS).  Based on a module designed to examine the perceptions of, and attitudes to, electronic monitoring among Northern Ireland Crime Survey respondents, this publication aims to:

measure public understanding of electronic monitoring in Northern Ireland; and
measure public confidence that electronic monitoring is effective in Northern Ireland.

The key findings were as follows:

• NICS 2015/16 findings show 39.3% of respondents indicated that they had either a very or fairly good understanding of electronic monitoring in Northern Ireland. These figures were unchanged when compared with NICS 2014/15.
• Over three-fifths (64.3%) of respondents felt either very or fairly confident that electronic monitoring assists in managing an individual’s curfew. This represents a statistically significant increase from the previous year (60.0%, NICS 2014/15.
• Almost three-fifths (59.0%) of NICS 2015/16 respondents were either very or fairly confident that electronic monitoring is effective at protecting the public by monitoring an individual’s curfew, a statistically significant increase when compared with NICS 2014/15 (54.7%).

Notes to editors: 

1. This is the fifth publication to be drawn from NICS 2015/16, a representative, continuous personal interview survey of the experiences and perceptions of crime of adults living in private households throughout Northern Ireland.  Previously conducted in 1994/95, 1998, 2001 and 2003/04, the NICS began operating on a continuous basis in January 2005.  It generally mirrors the format and core questions of the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW; formerly known as the British Crime Survey).

2. An alternative, but complementary, measure of crime to offences recorded by the police, the main aims of NICS are to:

• measure crime victimisation rates experienced by people living in private households regardless of whether or not these crimes were reported to, or recorded by, the police;
• monitor trends in the level of crime, independent of changes in reporting levels or police recording practices;
• measure people’s perceptions of and reactions to crime (for example, the level and causes of crime, the extent to which they are concerned about crime and the effect of crime on their quality of life);
• identify the characteristics and circumstances of people most at risk from and affected by different types of crime;
• measure public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system; and
• collect sensitive information, using self-completion modules, on people’s experiences regarding crime-related issues, such asdomestic violence.

3. This official statistics publication draws, primarily, on a suite of questions included in a NICS module on Electronic Monitoring undertaken between April 2015 and March 2016.  A total of 1,961 respondents completed the module.

4. Official statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.  They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs.  They are produced free from any political interference.  They are also subject to restrictions in terms of pre-release access. 

5. The bulletin will be available in PDF format only from either this website or Analytical Services Group, Laganside House, 23-27 Oxford Street, Belfast BT1 3LA (Telephone: 02890 724551; Email: statistics.research@justice-ni.x.gsi.gov.uk).

6. All media enquiries should be directed to the Department of Justice Press Office 028 9052 6444. Out of office hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07623 974 383 and your call will be returned.

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