Fly Tipping Data, 2020-2021

Farrell, Graham and Dixon, Anthony (2022). Fly Tipping Data, 2020-2021. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-855416

The COVID-19 crisis is changing the shape of crime. Drawing on crime science, this research will inform evidence-based policy and practice.

Lockdown requires people to stay home, leading to domestic violence and child abuse increases. Yet social distancing means police are arresting fewer suspects: reduced services at time of greater need. COVID-19 gives fraudsters a 'conversation starter' to approach people in-person, via text, email and online. Remote working and online leisure activities, furloughs and financial difficulties, provide more potential targets for online crimes of various types. Vulnerable groups including the elderly and disabled are more at risk.

Yet a Harvard study (Kissler et al. Science, 14 April) suggests that, absent a vaccine, social distancing may continue into 2022, perhaps 2024. So we will anticipate crime effects of prolonged, graduated or cyclical exit strategies.

We will also anticipate post-crisis scenarios, seeking to sustain declines in crimes like burglary, to avoid them returning to 'normal'.

We will use (1) national police data, (2) detailed data from three police partners, (3) fraud and e-crime data from industry, and (4) sources from other agencies such as Childline (for unreported crime). Pre/post-change analysis will use a combination of time-series and spatial modelling. Nesting force-level analysis in the national and international context will allow us to gauge scalability.

We have police and industry partners, national (Home office, National Police Chief's Council, College of Policing) and international advisors. The aim is to inform policy and practice, producing 16 deliverables including policy and practice briefings and research articles.

Data description (abstract)

Fly tipping data from a large selection of UK Local authorities. The data was accrued through a Freedom of information request to all local authorities asking for monthly counts of recorded fly tipping.

The original purpose was to understand how the covid-19 induced closure of waste facilities had effected the fly-tipping rates across the country.

Data creators:
Creator Name Affiliation ORCID (as URL)
Farrell Graham University of Leeds https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-3987-8457
Dixon Anthony University of Leeds https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-1926-8926
Sponsors: ESRC
Grant reference: ES/V00445X/1
Topic classification: Law, crime and legal systems
Economics
Keywords: WASTE COLLECTION, CRIME AND SECURITY, COVID-19
Project title: Reducing the Unanticipated Crime Harms of COVID-19 Policies
Grant holders: Graham Farrell, Kate Bowers, Shane Johnson, Nick Tilley, Nick Malleson, Daniel Birks, Anthony Dixon
Project dates:
FromTo
10 June 20209 December 2022
Date published: 01 Feb 2022 11:59
Last modified: 01 Feb 2022 11:59

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