Interpreting Police.uk maps alongside ONS crime statistics
Summary
Police.uk maps are useful for local context, but they should not be treated as exact address level crime evidence. ONS crime statistics provide broader trend context and explain the strengths and limits of police recorded crime and survey data.
Definition
Police.uk maps show street level crime and anti social behaviour data with anonymised approximate locations. Pins may be moved to nearby map points and should not be read as exact addresses. ONS crime statistics use multiple sources, including the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police recorded crime, each with different strengths and limits. For an area check, use Police.uk to understand local patterns, but aggregate over a sensible area and period, avoid overreacting to small monthly counts, and use ONS guidance to understand whether changes reflect actual risk, reporting behaviour, recording practice or local policing activity.