The 2021 census for the Cayman Islands asked two new questions that did not feature in any previous census. Section 11 of the questionnaire asked whether any respondent had been a victim of crime (excluding traffic) during the past 12 months and, if so, whether they had reported it. Because there is no crime survey undertaken in the Islands, this is a valuable addition to the census, and the results can be viewed in a number of ways in combination with the remainder of the demographic data from the questionnaire. Furthermore, the experience of crime and the claimed levels of reporting of crime can be compared to the police statistics for actual recorded crime to provide a clearer picture of crime reporting. While these new census questions provide valuable insights, the study also highlights limitations in the current approach, including the lack of data on crime types, frequency and impact. We recommend implementing a more comprehensive annual crime survey to address these gaps and enhance understanding of crime patterns. This research contributes to the broader discussion on crime data collection methodologies in small island nations and their implications for policy development and resource allocation in law enforcement.
AldaE., BennettR. R., & MorabitoM. S. (2017). Confidence in the police and the fear of crime in the developing world. Policing: An International Journal, 40(2), 366–379. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-03-2016-0045
2.
AmitV. (2001). A clash of vulnerabilities: Citizenship, labor, and expatriacy in the Cayman Islands. American Ethnologist, 28(3), 574–594. https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.2001.28.3.574
3.
ArdanazM., CorbachoA., & Ruiz-VegaM. (2014). Mind the gap: Bridging the perception and reality of crime rates with information. Inter-American Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.18235/0011650
4.
BennettS., NewmanM., & SydesM. (2017). Mobile police community office: A vehicle for reducing crime, crime harm and enhancing police legitimacy?Journal of Experimental Criminology, 13, 417–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-017-9302-6
5.
BlockC., & BlockR. (1984). Crime definition, crime measurement, and victim surveys. Journal of Social Issues, 40(1), 137–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1984.tb01086.x
6.
BradfordB., & MacQueenS. (2015). Victimization surveys: Tools for research and policy; sites of contest and debate. In Oxford handbook topics in criminology and criminal justice. Oxford Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935383.013.105
7.
BradfordB., & MyhillA. (2014). Triggers of change to public confidence in the police and criminal justice system: Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales panel experiment. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 15(1), 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895814521825
8.
BraganzaO. (2020). A simple model suggesting economically rational sample-size. PloS One, 15(3), e0229615. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229615
9.
BrennanI. (2016). Victim responses to violence: The effect of alcohol context on crime labeling. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(6), 1116–1140. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514564068
10.
BrownB. (2020). Public perceptions of police crime control in South Korea. Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 6(4), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2020-0002
11.
Buil-GilD., Brunton-SmithI., Pina-SanchezJ., & CernatA. (2022). Comparing measurements of violent crime in local communities: A case study in Islington, London. Police Practice and Research, 23(4), 489–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2022.2047047
12.
CallananV. J. (2012). Media consumption, perceptions of crime risk and fear of crime: Examining race/ethnic differences. Sociological Perspectives, 55(1), 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2012.55.1.93
13.
CartwrightA., & ShawC. (2020). Evidence-based social media use: An exploratory UK investigation into residents’ perceptions of police Facebook use. Safer Communities, 19(2), 61–71. https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-09-2019-0033
14.
Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia. (2020). Saint Lucia national crime victimization survey (SLNCVS) 2020. https://stats.gov.lc/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SLNCVS_Presentation_Main_Results_2020.pdf
15.
CheungC.-K., & ChuiW. (2021). Crime costs to the public in Hong Kong. Social Indicators Research, 157, 283–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02640-8
16.
Clay-WarnerJ., BunchJ. M., & McMahon-HowardJ. (2016). Differential vulnerability: Disentangling the effects of state dependence and population heterogeneity on repeat victimization. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 43(10), 1406–1429. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854816636415
17.
ClouseK., NoholozaS., MadwayiS., MrubataM., CamlinC. S., MyerL., & PhillipsT. K. (2023). The implementation of a GPS-based location-tracking smartphone app in South Africa to improve engagement in HIV care: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 11, e44945. https://doi.org/10.2196/44945
18.
CohenL. E., & FelsonM. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, 44(4), 588–608. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094589
19.
CrutchfieldR., & RamirezS. (2012). Using census data and surveys to study labor markets and crime. In GaddD., KarstedtS., & MessnerS. F. (Eds), The Sage handbook of criminological research methods (pp. 143–158). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446268285.n10
20.
Economics and Statistics Office. (2021). 2021 population and housing census report. Cayman Islands Government. https://www.eso.ky/2021-population-and-housing-census-report.html
21.
Economics and Statistics Office. (2024). The Cayman Islands’ compendium of statistics 2023. The Government of the Cayman Islands.
22.
FarringtonD. P. (2015). Cross-national comparative research on criminal careers, risk factors, crime and punishment. European Journal of Criminology, 12(4), 386–399. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370815584262
23.
FatumaA. (2024). Role of media representation in shaping public perceptions of crime in tanzania. International Journal of Sociology, 8(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.47604/ijs.2829
24.
FelsonM. (2002). Crime and everyday life (4th ed.). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483349299
25.
GeurtsR., RaaijmakersN., DelsingM. J., SpapensT., WientjesJ., WillemsD., & ScholteR. H. (2021). Assessing the risk of repeat victimization using structured and unstructured police information. Crime and Delinquency, 69(9), 1736–1757. https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287211047533
26.
GillS. (2013). The dilemma of nationalism: Migrant labour, economic crisis, and the politics of belonging in the Cayman Islands. Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, 38(2), 238–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/08263663.2014.959400
27.
Global Centre for Public Service Excellence. (2014). Small, so simple? Complexity in small island developing states. United Nations Development Programme. http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/capacity-development/English/Singapore%20Centre/GPCSE_Complexity%20in%20Small%20Island.pdf
28.
GroteU., NguyenT.-T., NguyenT., & NeubacherF. (2022). Applying the routine activity approach to crime victimization. Thailand Vietnam Socio Economic Panel (TVSEP) Working Paper, No. WP-025.
29.
GroveL., FarrellG., FarringtonD., & JohnsonS. (2012). Preventing repeat victimization: A systematic review. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/116406/1/Grove%20et%20al%202012%20Preventing%20Repeat%20Victimization%20-%20A%20Systematic%20Review%20%28Bra%29.pdf
30.
HaleC., PackP., & SalkedJ. (1994). The structural determinants of fear of crime: An analysis using census and crime survey data from England and Wales. International Review of Victimology, 3(3), 211–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/026975809400300303
31.
HarriottA. A., & JonesM. (2016). Crime and violence in Jamaica. Inter-American Development Bank. https://thewgsg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Crime-and-Violence-in-Jamaica-IDB-Series-on-Crime-and-Violence-in-the-Caribbean-Copy.pdf
32.
Hassett-WalkerC., & BoyleD. (2007). Conducting criminological research in a hospital: The results of two exploratory studies and implications for prevention. Justice Research and Policy, 9(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.3818/jrp.9.1.2007.75
33.
HindelangM. J., GottfredsonM. R., & GarofaloJ. (1978). Victims of personal crime: An empirical foundation for a theory of personal victimization. Ballinger.
34.
JohnsonS. (2010). A brief history of the analysis of crime concentration. European Journal of Applied Mathematics, 21(4–5), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0956792510000082
35.
KennedyL., CaplanJ., & DrawveG. (2021). Data-informed crime prevention at convenience stores in Atlantic City. Police Practice and Research, 23(2), 125–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2021.1917399
36.
KirkD., PapachristosA. V., FaganJ., & TylerT. (2011). The paradox of law enforcement in immigrant communities: Does tough immigration enforcement undermine public safety?Columbia Public Law Research Paper, 11–281. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1939506
37.
LangtonL., PlantyM., & LynchJ. (2017). Second major redesign of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Criminology & Public Policy, 16(4), 1049–1074. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12335
38.
LauritsenJ. (2001). The social ecology of violent victimization: Individual and contextual effects in the NCVS. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 17(1), 3–32. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007574114380
39.
LauritsenJ. L., & Carbone-LopezK. (2011). Gender differences in risk factors for violent victimization: An examination of individual, family and community-level predictors. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 48(4), 538–565. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427810395356
40.
MaidinM. R., HussinM. F., ZakariaN. A., Ab.RahimS. A., & SamsudinK. (2024). The need for integrated crime risk assessment: Systems using data-driven strategies for crime. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(11), 996–1005. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i11/23600
41.
MarquetO., OgletreeS., HippA., SuauL. J., HorvathC. B., SinykinA., & FloydM. F. (2020). Effects of crime type and location on park use behavior. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17(E73), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.190434
42.
McDowallD., & LoftinC. (2007). What is convergence, and what do we know about it? In LynchJ. & AddingtonL. (Eds), Understanding crime statistics: Revisiting the divergence of the NCVS and UCR (pp. 93–122). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511618543.004
43.
MeierR. F., & MietheT. D. (1993). Understanding theories of criminal victimization. Crime and Justice, 17, 459–499. https://doi.org/10.1086/449218
44.
MessingJ. T., & CampbellJ. (2016). Informing collaborative interventions: Intimate partner violence risk assessment for front line police officers. Policing, 10(4), 328–340. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paw013
45.
Ministry of National Security, Jamaica. (2019). Jamaica national crime victimization survey 2019: Final report. https://www.mns.gov.jm/sites/default/files/pdf/JNCVS%202019%20FINAL%20REPORT.pdf
46.
MulrooneyK., HarknessA., & NolanH. (2022). Farm crime and farmer-police relationships in rural Australia. International Journal of Rural Criminology, 7(1), 24–45. https://doi.org/10.18061/ijrc.v7i1.9106
47.
OsbornD. R., TrickettA., & ElderR. (1992). Area characteristics and regional variates as determinants of area crime levels. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 8, 265–285. doi: 10.1007/BF01064549
48.
PerryW. L., McInnisB., PriceC. C., SmithS. C., & HollywoodJ. S. (2013). Predictive Policing: The Role of Crime Forecasting in Law Enforcement Operations. RAND. https://doi.org/10.7249/j.ctt4cgdcz
49.
PolaninJ. R., & PigottT. D. (2012). The Campbell collaboration’s systematic review and meta-analysis online training videos. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(2), 229–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731512469882
50.
Prieto CurielR., Collignon DelmarS., & BishopS. (2018). Measuring the distribution of crime and its concentration. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 775–803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10940-017-9354-9
51.
RaaijmakersN., GeurtsR., DelsingM., BosmaA., WientjesJ., SpapensT., & ScholteR. (2022). Assessing the predictive validity of a risk assessment instrument for repeat victimization in the Netherlands using prior police contacts. European Journal of Criminology, 20(6), 1899–1917. https://doi.org/10.1177/14773708221105790
52.
RanapurwalaS. I., BergM. T., & CasteelC. (2016). Reporting crime victimizations to the police and the incidence of future victimizations: A longitudinal study. PloS ONE, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160072
53.
RCIPS. (2022). Annual crime and traffic statistical report. RCIPS. https://www.rcips.ky/upimages/ckeditor/1648671985_2021CrimeandTrafficStatisticalReport-FinalVersion.pdf
54.
RogersC. (2014). Researching the police: Zero tolerance and community safety. In RogersC. (Ed.), Researching the police in the 21st century (pp. 20–42). Palgrave Macmillan.
55.
SchreursW., FranjkicN., KerstholtJ., De VriesP. W., & GiebelsE. (2020). Why do citizens become a member of an online neighbourhood watch? A case study in the Netherlands. Police Practice and Research, 21(6), 687–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2020.1712202
56.
SuttonH., & RuprahI. (2017). Restoring Paradise in the Caribbean, combatting violence with numbers. Inter-American Development Bank. https://publications.iadb.org/en/publications/english/viewer/Restoring-Paradise-in-the-Caribbean-Combatting-Violence-with-Numbers.pdf
57.
TseloniA., WittebroodK., FarrellG., & PeaseK. (2004). Burglary victimization in England and Wales, the United States and the Netherlands: A cross-national comparative test of routine activities and lifestyle theories. The British Journal of Criminology, 44(1), 66–91. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/44.1.66
58.
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. General Assemby. https://docs.un.org/en/A/RES/70/1
59.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2010). Manual on victimization surveys. https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Crime-statistics/Manual_on_Victimization_surveys_2009_web.pdf
60.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2020). UNODC supports Saint Lucia in generating data on victimization and safety. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2020/July/unodc-supports-saint-lucia-in-generating-data-on-victimization-and-safety.html
61.
Van DijkJ. (2015). The case for survey-based comparative measures of crime. European Journal of Criminology, 12(4), 437–456. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370815585446
62.
Van DijkJ., & Van KesterenJ. (2015). Victimization by crime in the Caribbean in international perspective; key findings of comparative victimization surveys in five Caribbean countries. INTERVICT, Tilburg University.
63.
WetzelsP., OhlemacherT., PfeifferC., & StroblR. (1994). Victimization surveys: Recent developments and perspectives. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 2(4), 14–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02249437
64.
WoodJ., & EdwardsK. (2005). Victimization of mentally ill patients living in the community: Is it a life‐style issue?Legal and Criminological Psychology, 10(2), 279–290. https://doi.org/10.1348/135532505x40836
65.
XieM., & LynchJ. P. (2024). The national crime victimization survey at fifty: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 41(1), 4–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862241290697
66.
ZahnowR., & SmithN. (2024). Locality-based social media: The impact of content consumption and creation on perceived neighborhood crime, safety, and offline crime prevention. Journal of Community Psychology, 52(7), 895–909. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23135
