The “Reference Guide for Strengthening the Statistical Use of Police Administrative Records” is published

As part of the Biennial Program of Regional and International Cooperation Activities of the Conference on Statistics of the Americas CEA-ECLAC 2024-2025, the “Reference Guide on Police Administrative Records” was published. This guide is the result of a joint effort aimed at strengthening the generation of statistical information from the administrative records of police forces in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

The document was prepared by a working group composed of representatives from the national statistics offices of Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay, with additional participation from Colombia, Guyana, and Puerto Rico, under the coordination of Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), headed by Adrián Franco Barrios, Vice President of INEGI, and with the technical secretariat of the Center of Excellence for Statistical Information on Government, Public Security, Victimization, and Justice of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In addition to the broad and active participation of police personnel from several countries in the region, the Brazilian Ministry of Justice also participated.

The Guide seeks to contribute to strengthening the quality of administrative records produced by police forces in Latin America and the Caribbean through the application of the statistical framework established in the UNODC Guidelines for the Production of Statistical Data by Police Authorities, adapted to the context of the region. In particular, it addresses the dimensions of human resources, criminal acts, arrest and detention, seizure operations, use of force and firearms, and professional conduct, on the basis of which a set of indicators was developed based on available data from police forces in the region.

The document also identifies the main challenges and opportunities associated with the use of administrative records for statistical purposes by police forces, recognizing their strategic role in improving the availability, timeliness, and disaggregation of information on crime and security phenomena. The exchange of experiences made it possible to identify good practices, common gaps, and areas for improvement in aspects such as data quality, the interoperability of information systems, and coordination between institutions that produce and use official statistical information.

The publication of the Guide marks the formal conclusion of the Working Group's work and, at the same time, opens a new phase focused on implementing its recommendations and strengthening national capacities for producing high-quality statistical information from police administrative records to support analysis, public policy formulation, and evidence-based decision-making.

The Guide, which will be presented to the public on January 27 through ECLAC's Knowledge Transmission Network, is now available at the following link: Reference guide on police administrative records | Knowledge Transmission Network.