The Meaning of Missing: The Hidden Power of Police Data Recording Practices in Rape Cases
Uzelac, G., Buil-Gil, D., Hohl, K. 
ORCID: 0000-0003-3992-019X & Lovett, J. (2025).
The Meaning of Missing: The Hidden Power of Police Data Recording Practices in Rape Cases.
Violence Against Women,
Abstract
Missing values represent a major weakness of police-recorded crime data. This article examines missing data in rape cases recorded by five police forces in England and Wales between January 2018 and December 2020. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with police practitioners reveals factors that influence missing information in police datasets, and quantitative data analyses explore the volume and patterns of missing data across cases defined by different victim, suspect and offense characteristics. Finally, we investigate the impact of missing data on outcomes of police investigations. We find that missing data is partly explained by victim, suspect and case characteristics and is also associated with outcomes.
| Publication Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses. |
| Publisher Keywords: | Missingness, Missing Data, Police Data, Case Outcomes |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) |
| Departments: | School of Policy & Global Affairs School of Policy & Global Affairs > Department of Sociology & Criminology |
| SWORD Depositor: |
Download (650kB) | Preview
Export
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Metadata
MetadataActions (login required)
Admin Login