WWL1
Reduction in crime
Where we live
- Crime
Reduction in crime
According to Victim Support ‘A crime is a deliberate act that causes physical or psychological harm, damage to or loss of property, and is against the law.’ There are many different types of crime and nearly everyone will experience a crime at some point in their lives with crime affecting people from all backgrounds, locations and ages.
The social and economic costs of organised crime to the UK is estimated to be approximately £37 billion (Home Office Understanding organised crime 2015/16).
According to the most recent ONS data, of adults in England and Wales, an estimated average of 36.4 personal crimes were committed per 1,000 adults in the year ending March 2023. (Crime Survey for England and Wales from the Office for National Statistics)
Key Value
A monetised fiscal, economic and social value of £4,000
Monetised social value of fiscal, economic and social costs of an average incidence of crime.
Where does this headline value come from?
The headline value comes from figures from the Ministry of Justice and other Government publications, used in the GM Unit Cost Database to provide the average cost per incident of crime (all types) covering fiscal, economic and social costs.
The values are based on the GM Unit Cost Database, with the original source ‘The Economic and Social Costs of Crime, Second Edition’ (2016/17). The estimate is for the total cost of crime split into fiscal, economic and social elements of the cost of crime.
The types of crime included in the estimated average cost include robbery, violent crime, sexual offenses, theft offices, and other miscellaneous crimes.
The fiscal cost is based on estimates to different affected public services including police, probation, courts and legal aid, prison system, criminal justice, NHS and victim services. The economic value includes increased insurance and property loss. The social value is based upon the physical and emotional impact on the direct victims of the crime.
The calculation includes in 2022/2023 prices:
- £1,100 estimated fiscal saving
- £1,300 estimated economic gain
- £1,600 estimated social (wellbeing) gain
An overall rounded value of £4,000.
Local Needs Analysis Data Source
Before using this MeasureUp value, we encourage you to assess the local need in relation to the activity or outcome.
Here is the most useful initial data source for assessing local need in relation to this value.
To assess local needs related to the value WWL1 ‘Reduction in crime’, you can use indicators that reflect both the prevalence of crime and efforts to reduce repeat offending. Key measures include: Crime rate and types of crime; Reoffending rates.
Crime data is provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and is available at the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) area level. It includes detailed information on crime rates and categories and is updated quarterly, allowing for regular monitoring of local trends. Reoffending rates are published by the Ministry of Justice at the national level and updated annually, offering insight into the effectiveness of rehabilitation and justice interventions. Together, these indicators provide a picture of both the volume and nature of crime in an area, as well as progress in reducing repeat offending.
How to measure Reduction in Crime
If you’re just starting out, start with Bronze first. The result of a Bronze measurement is just an estimate, but requires the least effort; whereas Silver and Gold give more accurate results but require more effort.
Each level has an effort to accuracy indicator, choose the one that’s right for you.
Bronze
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
Monetised value from estimated number of crimes averted x the bronze value of £4,000
Silver
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
Multiply the number of specific crimes averted by the relevant crime unit cost
Gold
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
Record the outcomes people report experiencing in relation to reduced crime in their area, and multiple that by the associated value for that outcome.
Gold+
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Gold+ level, you are building on your Gold value calculation by assessing the value against the counterfactual, or ‘what would have happened anyway’.
| Value Type: | Master outcome |
What's this?
This is the type of value. Some values are outcomes, which means many different interventions might lead to them, others are specific interventions that have a set value. |
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| UN SDG Categories: |
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What's this?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are global goals adopted in 2015 for all signed up nations to achieve for us to have a sustainable global future by 2030. There are 17 Goals that address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. |
| 2020 Social Value Models: |
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What's this?
PPN 06/20 Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts introduced the Central Government Social Value Model in 2020 which all Central Government contracting authorities must use in their in scope procurements. It consists of 5 themes, 8 policy outcomes, and 24 Model Award Criteria which outline key priority areas to achieve more social value. |
| 2025 Social Value Models: |
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What's this?
PPN 06/20 was superseded by PPN 002 Taking account of social value in the award of contracts, published in February 2025 in line with the Royal assent of the Procurement Act 2023. This PPN outlined the requirement to use the new 2025 Central Government Social Value Model. The Model applies to all Central Government procurements commencing on or after 1 October 2025 under the Procurement Act 2023. Out of scope procurements can choose to apply the model but are not required to do so. The updated model is structured around 5 government missions and 8 outcomes, with 17 Model Award Criteria, and a mandatory minimum 10% weighting of the total evaluation score assigned to social value. |
Evidence
Measure Up focuses on empowering you to numerically measure the impact you’re having. We recommend that numeric reports are backed up with stories and other types of evidence to help illustrate, in human terms, the impact that’s being made on individuals.
We recommend seeing consent from one or more participants in your intervention to collect and tell their story. This should include a little background on the participant, a summing up of life before the intervention, the human impact of the intervention, and the longer term (if known) impact on the person’s life outside of, and after, the intervention.
Providing photographs, audio recordings, video interviews or even artefacts from the intervention (for example, writing, paintings, music, etc from creative interventions) can add more colour, and convey the emotional impact of interventions more directly.
In some cases it’s appropriate to anonymise or abbreviate the personal information of case study participants. No story should be published or shared without the recorded consent of the individual(s) it concerns. Individuals continue to own the rights to their stories and if they request you stop sharing the story or making it available online you should do so promptly and without need for justification.
Feedback
Measure Up is an open, collaborative and transparent. If you have any suggestions or feedback on our pragmatic, recommended approach to measuring and valuing social value, including wellbeing, economic, and fiscal impact, and effects on our environment, please get in touch so we can share and discuss this at our next Advisory Group meeting.
More help
We want to empower anyone to perform and improve their impact measurement – without needing a degree in economics.
If you need any more help, or just someone to do the legwork for you we can help signpost you to software, training and consultancy to help you get to grips with the impact you’re having.
