Essay on Rising Knife Crime in England and Wales: Analyzing the Stats

Recently, cases of knife crime have been on the rise in England and Wales after falling for several years. Due to the continued reports over these rising matter. The need to look into the subject has been put up to determine what might be causing the trend in knife crime. Several statistics have been collected from the reported cases giving an overview of the situation. The data can be used to analyze the real-life application of the situation and come up with a proper evaluation of the issue. Therefore, the goal of the article is to shed light on the increased cases of knife crime, use the statistics available to help come up with a lasting solution. With the data, we can also try to find the cause, challenges, and solutions that might push people in committing such crimes. The main intention of the article is to determine what is happening and the statistics available can be used to come up with a solution to the matter if the right measures and procedures can be put in place concerning the stats.

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Moving on, from the article, the research question in our scenario as per the data provided is to critically find out, the major cause that has led to the rising cases of knife crimes which previously had reduced. Precisely, what is happening that is leading to the rise in knife crimes in England and Wales (Shaw, 2019)? From the available reports and cases, we can sum up and try to find out what is prompting the intensification and possible solution to the problem.

Illustratively, the article employed a research design that was used to collect and combine various components that were key in the research. Notably, the research design under review was done in three procedures: the data collection, measurement, and the analysis. To begin with, data was collected from police reports on statements of the affected victims. Data was also used from the NHS Hospitals from admission cases of victims (Shaw, 2019). Most of the data from the article were from police files and hospitals and few from the media.

The research design further involves the framework and techniques to combine the available data logically. Also, the use of research questions was used to act as a guideline in conducting detailed reports in the cases which were another method of data collection. Generally, the research design employed in the article above was experimental. It helps to establish the relationship between the causes and the effects of an existing situation. In our case, they are factors that lead to knife crimes, to come up with an accurate hypothesis, we have to establish the cause of the crimes. The method is more practical; hence it was more appropriate for use in the case under review for it contributes towards solving the problem at hand. The effects from an independent variable which are manipulated to show the impact on the dependent variable are observed. It is often used in the social sciences to help in observing human behavior.

From the article, cases from the victims were from different populations in England and Wales. First, the victims were getting younger with time, and they had an increase in the number of girls who were the primary victims (Shaw, 2019). Another portion of the population were cases reported of homicide which have been on the verge of rising. Majority of the population were adults with the young also having taken a rapid increase in the recent data. Also, a sampling strategy was used to come up with the data. From the available stats, I can conclude the type of sampling was stratified random sampling. The population from which the data was collected is heterogeneous with different groups who are related to the topic of study. From the population, it was able to provide a high degree of representatives of all strata in the population. Therefore, the sample in our case were the victims of knife crimes who are the small part of the large population under discussion.

Similarly, from the article, the need to identify what the latent variables were. From the definition, they are variables which are not directly observed but are instead inferred through other observable variables. From the article, since most of the cases are crime related, the latent variable is the pressure from unemployment and lack of income. The socioeconomic status of the individuals who commit these acts is of the low class which in our case end up as the latent variables.

On the other hand, the observed variables in our article under review are the reported number of cases which were booked and recorded by the police and in hospitals. From the column, we had descriptive statistics which helps in describing the data available. Therefore, from the article, we have various graphs and tables which help to present data in a more meaningful and straightforward way. An example of descriptive statistics is the graph showing the total number of knife offenses in England and Wales. It is important to note that, descriptive statistics only helps us to simplify our data but does not allow us to make conclusions (Burgess, 2019).

On the other hand, we have the inferential statistics which apply to populations. A population may be a sample representation of a small or large portion of people who have the data you are interested in finding out. Inferential statistics comprises techniques that try to use a sample to give a general overview of the entire population (Peck et al. 2015). An example of inferential statistics is the use of the data from the pie chart in the article. The data was a sample of those who are found in possession of knives in terms of their age brackets in England and Wales. By the end of September 2018, close to 21,381 people were cautioned carrying knives. Four thousand four hundred fifty-nine were found to be under the age of 18 years which was the highest in almost eight years (Shaw, 2019).

So far, from the article under discussion, about the learning that happened in class, the column has almost covered all the learning concepts that we have learned so far. The data is a full illustration of format statistics and how well we can be able to understand and further our knowledge of statistics. I have been able to come up with a hypothesis from the data. Ready to find out the research design that is under test from the article. Furthermore, the column has cut across to address the subtopics of statistics highlighting aspects like population, sampling, different types of variables among other fundamental concepts that were learned in the class. From the article, I can sum up the article under review was well conversant and detailed in helping cover statistics critique. The raw data provided was well sampled and can be verified in terms of practicability. Therefore, the data was justifiable since using the questions for critique; all the concepts that were being tested have been checked and well covered furthering understanding.

Summing up, the article has been able to draw appropriate conclusions. The data that was provided was extensive and fit for helping understand more on statistics. Throughout the process of critiquing the article, all the questions that were being tested in the paper were available from the column. Furthermore, the data had more concepts of statistics that were able to expand and further my understanding of different ideas in statistics with additional information. Also, the article was able to present crystal clear several aspects throughout the paper.

To add on, the article put out the research design that was being tested. To come up with the research design under discussion, it allowed one to go thoroughly through various types of research design. Compare characteristics to determine the one that was being tested in the article. According to Tompson et al. (2015), the concept of variables was well covered. From the data provided, I was able to vividly differentiate between various types of variables sampling them with the available data on the article. Lastly, the concept which was not well covered from the column is finding a possible solution to the problem of knife crimes. Little was included in sampling and population whereby the article was not detailed and vast in the two areas. However, it is essential to point out that from the article, additionally concepts in statistics were covered and the concepts tested were all well covered.

References

Burgess, R. (2018). Key Variables in Social Investigation. doi:10.4324/9781351170000

Peck, R., Olsen, C., & Devore, J. L. (2015). Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis(5th ed.). California, CA: Brooks Cole.

Shaw, D. (2019, March 14). Ten charts on the rise of knife crime. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42749089

Tompson, L., Johnson, S., Ashby, M., Perkins, C., & Edwards, P. (2014). UK open source crime data: accuracy and possibilities for research. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 42(2), 97-111. doi:10.1080/15230406.2014.972456