As part of the CARDS programme, which is an EU community aid for the Southeast European countries concerning their involvement in the stabilisation process and association with the European Union, a study regarding the identification of minimum standards and indicators relevant to the preparation of crime and criminal justice statistics at EU and international level was finalised in 2010. According to the study, particularly the European institutions have made considerable progress in this regard. However, the study is not only limited to the EU level, but aims at a wider understanding of crime and justice statistics by presenting the relevant standards established at international level and by the United Nations as well.

For the purpose of this study, "crime and justice statistics" are defined as "conventional" crime statistics, statistics on organised crime (including trafficking in human beings/people smuggling and money laundering) and corruption compiled by law enforcement agencies, judicial authorities or the courts, furthermore statistics on victimisation compiled through population surveys, but also statistics on asylum, visa and migration-related issues drawn up by official bodies.

Chapters 2 ("General Principles") and 3 ("Crime Definitions") of the study focus on crime and law enforcement statistics. The other components of criminal and judicial statistics (in the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Justice of the states), survey-based statistics (including those relating to corruption offences) as well as statistics on asylum, visa and migration statistics are mainly addressed in chapter 4 of the study. It also distinguishes more precisely between police, law enforcement and judicial statistics.

The study starts with an overview of the different sources of standards at EU level. It should certainly be noted that there are overlaps between the statistical systems at national level and those established in the international environment. While the primary objective of national statistics in the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Justice is to gather data for management and decision-making processes as well as counselling of policymakers, the objective at international level - in addition to a support function for national interests - is to enhance the cross-border comparability of selected key indicators.

Link to the study on the United Nations homepage: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/statistical-activities.html