... into the official statistics, according to the British Crime Survey, one-third of all offences are actually reported (Mayhew et al., 1992). Also, notice should be taken of the warning given, expressed by the authors of the published 1993 Criminal Statistics, wherein they state that, "... the complexities of the criminal justice system and the constraints on resources in collating and processing data, necessarily limit the amount of information collected routinely... and although care is taken collating and analysing the returns used to compile figures in this report, the data is of necessity, subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system" (Crime Statistics for England and Wales, 1993) From this statement it is evident that the criminal statistics do not represent all criminal activity that occurs in England and Wales. The criminal activity that falls outside this area (not accounted in figures) is often referred to as the 'Dark Figure of ...

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