Crime Resources
In this page, investigative journalists will find links to international databases, reports, and data that are helpful when covering crime.
| Source | Item Type | Description | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interpol | Database | The international law enforcement agency provides a database of persons wanted around the world. The database is searchable by name, nationality, physical attribute, crime, or wanted by country. | Interpol Wanted List |
| Interpol | Information | Interpol has published fact sheets that describe international efforts to address several crimes, including crimes against children, pharmaceutical crime, people smuggling, human trafficking, vehicle crime, bioterrorism, stolen works of art, and chemical and explosives terrorism. Other topics like DNA profiling, fingerprints, disaster victim identification, new technologies, criminal intelligence analysis connecting police, etc. are also covered. Some fact sheets include statistics. The page also includes annual reports and guides. | Interpol Publications |
| United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) | Information; Databases; Sources | UNODC statistics are sourced from national statistical systems and pertain to crime, criminal justice, drug trafficking, prices, production and use. Crime statistics are broken down by assault, kidnapping, theft (including motor vehicle), robbery, burglary, sexual violence (including rape and offenses against children), and homicide. Drug indicators include drug use and health consequences, prices and seizures. Many other topics are addressed including corruption, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, money-laundering, organized crime, maritime crime and piracy, terrorism prevention, wildlife and forest crime. | UNODC crime data UNODC field offices which can provide sources are listed here. |
| United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) | Database; Sources | UNODC maintains a database of over 3300 NGOs, of which 1249 are working on crime-related issues. Use the advanced search function to search by organization, address or sphere of action for local/relevant NGO sources. The database includes information provided by the NGOs and input from UNODC's field offices where NGOs actively participate in operational projects. | UNODC NGOs database |
| US Department of Treasury | Database | Searchable database includes individuals and entities sanctioned by the US government on suspicion of terrorism, narcotics trafficking, organized crime, illicit finance, sanctions violations, etc. Lists are available by sanctions program, country, etc. | Office of Foreign Assets Control Formatted Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons datasets |
| United Nations | Dataset | The Consolidated Sanctions List includes all individuals and entities subject to measures imposed by the UN Security Council, which may cover terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, destabilization, and other acts. | Security Council Sanctions List |
| US Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation | Information | The US federal law enforcement agency's organized crime website provides information on transnational crime threats and groups, fugitives, cases and reports. | FBI on Organized Crime |
| Centre for Information and Research on Organised Crime (CIROC) | Information; Expert Sources | The Netherlands-based research center tracks developments and trends in organized crime. Contact institute for expert sources. | CIROC |
| The European Institute for Crime | Information | Established by the UN and the government of Finland, HEUNI focuses on information exchange and scientific research in the area of crime and criminal justice in Europe. Research areas include corruption, crime statistics, human trafficking, prison, victimization surveys, and violence against women. Projects and expert sources can be accessed on the website. | Website |
| Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crimes (GITOC) | Information, Expert Sources | The Global Initiative is an independent civil society organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a globally dispersed Secretariat and a high-level advisory board. Its network members include prominent law enforcement, governance and development practitioners who are dedicated to seeking new and innovative strategies and responses to organized crime. | GITOC website |
| George Mason University | Information; Expert Sources | TraCCC is a research center within US-based George Mason University devoted to "understanding the links among terrorism, transnational crime and corruption, and to teach, research, train and help formulate policy on these critical issues." Information on past and current projects, including wildlife trafficking in Africa, and expert sources are available. | TraCCC website |
| York University | Information; Expert Sources | The Canada-based research center provides databases with information on organized crime and corruption-related subjects. | Nathanson Center website |
| The World Bank | Database | The World Bank Group Enterprise Survey uses eight indicators to measure the burden of crime on business in 152 economies. The results are based on surveys of more than 219,000 firms. A database query tool is available to help you better understand the burden of crime across various firm subgroups. You can also generate graphs to compare countries. | Enterprise Database |
| Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) | Databases; Experts | OCCRP's Investigative Dashboard includes software tools and databases useful for researching and mapping individals and companies. Its ID Search indexes more than two million documents on Politically Exposed Persons. Links to external databases include business registries, regional procurement registries, regulatory agencies, commercial registries, and court registries around the world. Experts are available to assist with research. | OCCRP's Database |
| U.S. Department of State | Reports | The INCSR is the US government's annual country-by-country two-volume report that describes the efforts to attack all aspects of the international drug trade, chemical control, money laundering, and financial crimes. | Link to Reports |
| Organization of American States | Expert Sources | The intergovernmental organization for the Americas deals with crime and has a list of associated civil society organizations in member countries that can provide local sources. OAS also partners with universities in member countries, which can provide expert sources. Annual reports are available here | Link to Registry |
| United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research | Information | UNICRI's programs aim to create and test new and holistic approaches in preventing crime and promoting justice and development. Current priorities include: chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear risks; cyber-crimes; illicit trafficking in precious metals; environmental crimes; urban security; security during major events, counter-terrorism, addressing gender issues in drug abuse and treatment, domestic violence, protection of vulnerable population and victims, juvenile justice, and international criminal law. | UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research |
| Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | Expert Sources | The intergovernmental European organization covers security issues and crimes, including human trafficking and terrorism. A local office may be a good place to look for expert sources. | OSCE Website |
| US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance | Expert Sources | Rich, multifaceted site touching on many dimensions of organized crime. | Resource Center |
| PWC (international) | Information; Expert Sources | PwC’s Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey 2022 shows the proportion of organizations experiencing fraud has remained relatively steady since 2018. However, the survey of 1,296 executives across 53 countries and regions found a rising threat from external perpetrators — bad actors who are quickly growing in strength and effectiveness. Nearly 70% of organizations experiencing fraud reported that the most disruptive incident came via an external attack or collusion between external and internal sources. | PwC’s Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey 2022 |
| FBI | Reports, statistics | FBI's statistics on hate crime | Statistics |
| National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) | Data, datasets, studies | The archive contains data from over 3,500 curated studies or statistical data series. NACJD is home to several large-scale and well known datasets, including the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), and the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). | The Archive |
| Global Terrorism Database (GTD) | Data | The Global Terrorism Database is an open-source database including information on 200,000 cases of terrorist events worldwide from 1970 through 2020. The date, location, the weapons used, the target, the number of casualties, and — when identifiable — the group or individual responsible is included for each incident. | Global Terrorism Database |
| The Violence Project | Database (last update: March 2021) | The Violence Project is a US nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that researches mass shootings. | Mass Shooter Database |
| Department of Homeland Security Emeritus Center of Excellence, University of Maryland | Data, Experts, Reports, Research papers on terrorism | START is a university-based research and education center comprised of an international network of scholars committed to the scientific study of the causes and human consequences of terrorism in the US and around the world. | Data and tools |
| Institute for Security Studies, INTERPOL, and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime | Report, Database | The ENACT Organised Crime Index has been last updated in 2023. The tool measures both the level of countries’ criminality and their resilience to organised crime. ENACT is an EU project implemented by the Institute for Security Studies and INTERPOL, in affiliation with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime. | Organised Crime Index Report ENACT |
| US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics | Reports | The BJS National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the US's primary source of information on criminal victimization. Each year, data are obtained from a nationally representative sample of about 240,000 persons in about 150,000 households. Persons are interviewed on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization in the US. The NCVS collects information on nonfatal personal crimes (i.e., rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, and personal larceny) and household property crimes (i.e., burglary/trespassing, motor vehicle theft, and other types of theft) both reported and not reported to the police. | Reports |
| South African Police Service (SAPS) | Reports and Statistics | The official crime statistics of the South African police. | Statistics |
| Code for Africa | Datasets | OpenAFRICA is an independent repository of open data on the African continent. It is not a government portal. It’s a grassroots initiative, maintained by Code for Africa with support from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the World Bank, or other partners. It contains crime datasets and databases on various issues from countries in the African continent. | Datasets and databases |
| NationMaster | Statistics and comparison | NationMaster is a statistics database offering a large variable directory for comparison purposes.. A wide range of economic and demographic indicators are available, across 300 industry verticals (agriculture, consumer goods, ICT, pharma, etc.). With NationMaster you can track thousands of statistics as and when they are released. The database is composed of data from trustworthy sources such as national statistic agencies, governments, and international organizations. (UNDP, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, UNCTAD, WTO, World Bank, World Health Organization, OECD and many others). Also contains crime statistics and comparisons between countries, in some categories as many as 205 nations. | Database |
| The World Bank | Graphics and Statistical Data | Graphics and statistical data on intentional homicides per 100,000 people per country. | Database |
| Australian Governement | Reports and Statistics | The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) is the country's national research and knowledge center on crime and justice, compiling trend data and disseminating research and policy advice. The website contains reports, statistics, and various research publications on the above issues. | Australian Statistics |
| British Society of Criminology (BSC) | Academic Publications, Expert papers | Academic work by British leading criminology experts. Find links to academic research and the official journal of the British Society of Criminology. | The BSC Research Page |
| US Congress - United States Institute of Peace | Special report (2021) | The report identifies four ways in which organized criminal actors engage in violence in Central Asia: in confrontation with the state; in open conflict amid state breakdown; in collaboration with regimes to wage state violence; and in competition with one another for assets and influence. Country case studies (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan) illustrate these variations. | 2022 Report |
| Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) | Reports and Research | The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) is a web-based research and information center that aims to conduct, mobilize, exchange, and promote research and knowledge to prevent femicide and other forms of gender-based killings in Canada. | Trends in Canada |
| University of Guelph, Canada | Research reports on femicide and domestic violence | Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence focuses its research activities on understanding the impacts of social and legal responses to violence. | Reports |
| The United Nations' Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean | Data and Graphics | Feminicide statistics of Latin America and the Caribbean. | Statistics |
| Femicide Census - UK | Reports | Statistics of femicides in the UK. | Femicide in the UK |
| European Observatory on Femicide (EOF) | Data, Research Publications and Reports | The European Observatory on Femicide (EOF) is a research and advocacy initiative on prevention of gender-related killings of women. EOF is initially based on the results of the COST Action on Femicide across Europe (2013-2016) involving researchers from Europe and Israel engaging with the topic of femicide in the areas of definitions, reporting, culture, and prevention. | Resources |
| European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) | Publication | Publication by researchers on femicide in Europe. | Publication |
| Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs | Official Statistics | Official Statistics for crime in India | Statistics |
| UK Office for National Statistics | Official Statistics, Datasets | UK official statistics on crime (also available in categories, i.e. homicide, violence against women) | Statistics and datasets |
| UK Home Office | Official Statistics | UK official statistics on hate crime from 2020-2021. | Official statistics |
| University of Oslo | Datasets on Western Europe | Research and datasets on extremism, hate crime and the far-right. Includes the 2021 Right-wing Terrorism and Violence (RTV) Trend Report where they present new and updated data on severe right-wing attacks and plots that occurred in Western Europe in 2020. | Dataset of right-wing attacks |
| UN Women | Publications and figures | UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Information for Asia and the Pacific. | Facts and Figures |
| Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-based Violence | Research, Statistics, and Data | The Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence is a national resource center on domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence in Asian/Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. | Resource Library |
| The Trouble with Numbers: Difficult Decision Making in Identifying Right-Wing Terrorism Cases. | Academic Paper | Data sources to study right-wing terrorism in the US are scarce and frequently face unique data collection obstacles. This paper takes an investigative look at open source social scientific and legal data. It goes through five major, social-scientific terrorism databases in regards to data on right-wing terrorist events. Legal case databases are introduced and discussed to show the lack of available court information and case proceedings in regards to right-wing terrorism. | Paper |
| Equality Now | Report 2021 | Rape laws across South Asia insufficient, inconsistent, and poorly enforced, leaving women at heightened risk of sexual violence. Equality Now is a feminist organization using the law to protect and promote the human rights of all women and girls. In April 2021, they published this report on the inadequacy of rape laws in South Asia. | Equality Now Website |
| Oxpeckers | Tips | Using access to information laws to uncover wildlife crime in the UK. | Link |
| Reuters Institute | Tips | How journalists can reliably step in to gather, clean and publish data when the government fails to do so. | Link to tips |
| The Centre for Law and Democracy and News Media Europe | Guide | Guide for Journalists on Documenting International Crimes. | Guide |
| Police Data Accessibility Project (PDAP) | Database | PDAP maintains a database of U.S. police systems and data published about them, as well as connecting volunteers to projects in need of data support. | PDAP database |
This table was created by GIJN Staff in 2019 and was updated in July 2022 by ELli Zotou and GIJN’s Resource Center Director, Nikolia Apostolou.
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