A research note on reporting discrepancies in international homicide data

The main purposes of this study were to investigate reporting discrepancies among international homicide indicators and to evaluate the consequences of these discrepancies on model estimation. Reporting discrepancies were detected through comparisons of homicide statistics collected by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the United Nations Crime Survey (UNCS), and the World Health Organization (WHO). Analyses showed that inconsistencies or irregularities occurred in official statistics of sixteen responding members. These reporting problems have altered estimations of correlation and regression models. Future research should explore further these reporting discrepancies and develop strategies to reduce inconsistencies and irregularities in international crime statistics.