ABSTRACT
Having dealt with the structure of English Criminal Statistics and with some problems arising directly out of it, it remains to examine the further question how far the figures therein are really indicative of the state of crime in this country. Especially the international comparability of Criminal Statistics is always fundamentally influenced by the differences between the various criminal legislations. It would be utterly misleading, for instance, to compare the bare figures for convictions of murder in England and Germany without taking into account that the English conception “murder” is much wider than the German Mord. More important in this respect is the law of criminal procedure. Its bearing on the interpretation of Criminal Statistics may conveniently be examined under two aspects—the static and the dynamic. The monopolization of certain types of criminal proceedings by certain places, as for instance that of Sunday Trading prosecutions by Kingston-upon-Hull during the last sixty years, would probably be soon checked.
