ABSTRACT
Victimization surveys have primarily been designed as a source of statistical information on the volume and trends of crime collected independently from police records. From this perspective, prevalence and incidence rates of victimization are the key fi ndings. Th e surveys also yield estimates of the total numbers of crime reported to the police that can be compared with numbers of offi cially recorded off enses. Several developed countries conduct independent annual victimization surveys on a national scale, including Andalusia (Spain), Australia, England and Wales, France, Italy, the
Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. In the case of the International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS), data about crime at the macro level are collected in a comparative, international perspective. Th e ICVS dataset allows an analysis of the dynamics of actual and reported crime rates, fear of crime, and satisfaction with the police across countries [Van Dijk, Van Kesteren, and Smit, 2008]. Comparative victimization surveys are now generally recognized as an indispensable tool for the benchmarking of criminal policies in an international setting [Th e Economist, July 12, 2008]. In the meantime, Eurostat, the statistical arm of the European Commission, is preparing a similar, standardized victimization survey among its 27 Member States.
