Collection of Police-reported Indigenous and Racialized Identity Data through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR)

Collection of Police-reported Indigenous and Racialized Identity Data through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR)

Date: January 2024

Program manager: Director, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics
Director General, Justice, Diversity and Populations

Reference to Personal Information Bank (PIB):

Personal information collected through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) is described in Statistics Canada's "Crime Statistics" Personal Information Bank (Bank number: StatCan PPU 029) which collects personal information to produce statistical information relating to the nature and extent of crime in Canada and to describe the circumstances of criminal incidents as well as the characteristics of victims and accused persons. This institutional personal information bank is being updated to include the addition of Indigenous and racialized identity information for accused persons and victims of criminal incidents (see Appendix 1).

The updated Crime Statistics PIB will be published on the Statistics Canada website under the latest Information about Programs and Information Holdings chapter.

Description of statistical activity:

Under the authority of the Statistics ActFootnote 1, Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey collects information on all criminal incidents reported by Canadian police services. The purpose of the survey is to measure the incidence of crime in Canadian society and its characteristics. Information collected through the survey is used by policy makers at all levels of government, the policing community, media, academics, researchers and the public.

The UCR Survey is a census which collects information from more than 190 police services including data from municipal and provincial police services,as well as all the detachments of the RCMP. The UCR is an administrative data program whereby police extract administrative records from their records management systems to send to Statistics Canada in a uniform format and according to national data standards. Information collected from police services includes information relating to the nature and extent of the incident, as well as personal information such as the name, date of birth, gender, and characteristics of victims and accused personsFootnote 2 involved in criminal incidents.

On July 15, 2020, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) released a joint statement announcing their commitment to working on the collection of data on the Indigenous and racialized identity of all victims and accused persons as it pertains to criminal incidents through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey.

Following the joint announcement, Statistics Canada embarked on an engagement process seeking feedback from diverse perspectives, including Indigenous and racialized organizations, police services, academics and other partners. These engagements sought advice on the value of collecting this information, how the police should collect and report the data, what information should be reported by the police, how the data should be used and accessed, and any related concerns. The feedback received led to the development and dissemination of an interim report and six recommendations to inform the next steps of the initiative (the six recommendations are listed in Appendix 2).

Accordingly, beginning in 2024, the UCR Survey will be expanded to enable the collection of Indigenous and racialized identity information of victims and accused persons involved in all criminal incidents through "officer-perception" and "self-identification" methodsFootnote 3. Statistics Canada held a second phase of engagements with various Indigenous and racialized groups community organizations, police services, academics, and other partners to seek feedback on how to operationalize the data collection. This phase of engagements sought feedback related to:

  • Operational needs, concerns, and issues
  • Guidelines on how and when during an interaction to best collect data
  • How to develop standards (e.g., uniform record layouts) and guidelines (e.g., operating manuals and best practices documentation)
  • Provincial and privacy legislation that may affect data collection by police
  • Use of data after collection

Results from this phase of engagements will be published at a later date.

Statistics Canada and the CACP have launched a CACP special purpose committee to address issues and concerns raised through the engagements. This committee has representation from all levels of policing, geography, and size, and will incorporate (as needed) academics and other parties to help inform key research, technical and operational issues.

In collaboration with the CACP, Statistics Canada will establish and publish national data collection standards and guidelines that will integrate with police procedures, processes, and workflow. Further, through this collaboration, Statistics Canada will also develop and deliver training that emphasizes the importance of the data collection initiative and the benefits for the Canadian population, policy makers, and the police.

Information on the UCR is available on Statistics Canada's website available at: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR)

A status update report outlining key deliverables for this initiative and accomplishments to date was published on the Statistics Canada website on July 24, 2023. A link to the report is provided below:

Police-reported Indigenous and Racialized Identity Data Through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey: Progress Update and Next Steps

Updates on this initiative are provided on the Statistics Canada Crime and Justice Statistics Hub:

Crime and justice statistics

Reason for supplement:

While the Generic Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) addresses most of the privacy and security risks related to statistical activities conducted by Statistics Canada, including the UCR Survey, this supplement informs Canadians of the expansion of the UCR Survey to collect information on the Indigenous and racialized identity of persons accused and victims of criminal incidents, it addresses any related additional privacy and security risks, and it describes the measures implemented by Statistics Canada to mitigate these risks. As is the case with all PIAs, Statistics Canada's privacy framework ensures that elements of privacy protection and privacy controls are documented and applied.

Necessity and Proportionality

The collection and use of Indigenous and racialized identity information of victims and accused persons in criminal incidents through the UCR Survey can be justified against Statistics Canada's Necessity and Proportionality Framework:

  1. Necessity: In recent years, there have been increasing demands for better disaggregated data on people's diverse experiences as part of a response to issues of social inequities, discrimination, and systemic racism within Canadian societyFootnote 4. Concerns for the disparate treatment and over-representation of Indigenous and racialized peoples in the Canadian criminal justice system revealed important gaps in the availability of disaggregated data. While other Statistics Canada surveysFootnote 5 have been collecting data related to the socio-economic conditions and experiences of Indigenous and racialized populations in Canada, this information is not yet available for individuals who encounter the police. This presents a critical gap in official police-reported crime statistics.

To narrow this gap, on July 15, 2020, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) released a joint statement announcing their commitment to working on the collection of data on the Indigenous and racialized identity of all victims and accused persons through the UCR Survey. Feedback received through engagements for this initiative reveal the importance of collecting data via both the "officer-perception" and "self-identification" methods as they can reveal different information. More specifically, data collected through an "officer perception" method are deemed important because perceptions could influence an officer's decision-making in an interaction and lead to disparities in outcomes. In contrast, the "self-identification" method is considered to provide the most accurate data and can help empower communities by providing data representing the needs of communities. With some police jurisdictions already currently collecting some form of race-based data, the recommendation to allow for the collection of data using both methods presents a fulsome data collection strategy, that can ensure consistency and comparability at the national level, while allowing police services flexibility to meet jurisdictional and national mandates.

These administrative data will be collected through both the officer-perception and self-identification methods, utilizing Statistics Canada's standardized population group categories. In light of feedback received through Statistics Canada engagements and potential challenges in collecting officer-perceived data using these standard categories, the UCR system is being updated to support the collection of the officer perception data under a two-tiered approach: initially, a 'higher' level category merging a few of the standard categories will be employed, followed by a more granular categorization in the second tierFootnote 6. Both tiers will use standardized terminology, group concepts and definitions together, and align with existing standards produced by provinces currently collecting police-reported race-based data.

Gathering data on Indigenous and racialized identity of victims and accused persons will provide insights into systemic issues of racism, discrimination and inequity as it relates to policing and the Canadian criminal justice system, more broadly. While restricted to criminal incidents, collecting information on the Indigenous and racialized identity of all accused persons and victims of crime may serve as a crucial step to better understanding the process by which certain groups experience disparate involvement in the Canadian criminal justice systemFootnote 7. It will also provide data that will help better inform policy and program design, and it has the potential to improve service delivery to those residing in Canada.

  1. Effectiveness - Working assumptions: Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey is the only source of data that collects information on all criminal incidents reported by Canadian police services. It is Canada's official source of information to monitor the nature and extent of police-reported crime across the country. Data collected through the UCR Survey are extracted from police services' Record Management Systems.

It is crucial that disaggregated data be available at all stages of the criminal justice process to successfully understand and monitor the process by which certain groups experience criminal justice differently in Canada and ultimately to enact evidence-based solutions. To this end, collecting information on the Indigenous and racialized identity of all accused persons and victims of crime is a crucial step. Standards and guidelines developed as part of this initiative will inform data collection in other areas of the justice system, and other programs adjacent to criminal incidents (for example, calls for service).

  1. Proportionality: Personal information such as name, date of birth, gender, and characteristics of victims and accused persons involved in criminal incidents is collected through the UCR Survey. Indigenous and racialized identity information collected through officer perception and self-identification will now be included in the UCR Survey.

The Survey is a census which produces a continuous historical record of crime and Federal traffic statistics reported by every police agency in Canada. The communities across Canada are diverse, and the collection of police-reported identity information must consider the specific characteristics, existing relationships and contexts of the policing organizations and the communities they serve. Therefore, Indigenous and racialized identity information will be collected from all police services reporting to the UCR Survey, including from municipal and provincial police services, and all the detachments of the RCMP. Some police services may require changes to their Records Managements Systems, operations and policies to enable the collection of information via both the officer perception and self-identification methods. As such, when the data collection begins, there will be flexibility for police to start collection using one method while working towards collecting both in the future.

While several police services collect some information on Indigenous and/or racialized identity, this information is currently not collected in a systematic manner that is consistent across jurisdictions and not typically widely publishedFootnote 8. To ensure that officer-perception data is collected, reported and published in a consistent manner, Statistics Canada will collaborate with its partners to develop standards and guidelines for data collection and reporting through the UCR Survey. These standards will be mapped to existing jurisdictional standards and to the self-identification standards.

Police-reported data on the Indigenous and racialized identity of victims and accused persons involved in a criminal incident is not currently collected at a national level using the self-identification method. As such, Statistics Canada has committed to engaging its partners in this initiative, including police services and organizations representing Indigenous and racialized communities to determine how and when the data should be collected, taking into account police processes, procedures and workflow, and how to ensure that clear messaging is provided to victims and accused persons on the collection of their self-identification information, including their choice to opt out of providing this information should they choose. Informed consent from victims and accused persons is necessary prior to any collection of self-identification information by police officers, given that a power differential exists in interactions between a police officer and a civilian in which a civilian may feel pressure to provide self-identification information. Through these engagements and collaboration, Statistics Canada will determine the most appropriate time during an interaction to ask for self-identification data, and the best mode to do so (e.g., verbal request, form submission), ensuring that:

  • there is informed consent; and
  • there is flexibility for an individual to choose how they identify.

To allow for flexibility for an individual to choose how they identify, Statistics Canada will propose that:

  • Self-identity categories be implemented to enable the selection of any/all of the Indigenous identities and any/all of the racialized identities; and
  • There is an option for a write-in field so that various information about the identity of victims and accused persons can be captured.

The data collected through the UCR Survey provide key information for crime analysis, resource planning and program development for the policing community. Municipal and provincial governments use the data to inform decisions about the distribution of police resources, to develop definitions of provincial standards, and for comparisons with other departments or jurisdictions. For the Federal Government, the UCR Survey provides information for policy and legislative development, for the evaluation of new legislative initiatives, and for international comparisons. The UCR Survey also provides information to the general public on the nature and extent of police-reported crime and crime trends in Canada. As well, media, academics and researchers use these data to examine specific issues about crime.

Proportionality has also been considered based on ethics:

  • Data sensitivity: Data on the Indigenous and racialized identity of victims and accused persons collected through the UCR Survey could be of a sensitive nature due to existing concerns related to disparate experiences of Indigenous and racialized people with the criminal justice system and their lower confidence in and negative perceptions of policeFootnote 9. The risk of sensitive information being disclosed is minimal since their data will be processed according to Statistics Canada's / UCR Survey's current practices. Statistics Canada will establish dissemination and disclosure rules that will ensure that dissemination of UCR data related to Indigenous or racialized identity is done in a manner that does not cause harm for those communities without compromising confidentiality, making any particular individual identifiable.
  1. Alternatives: Statistics Canada's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey is the only source of data that collects information on all criminal incidents reported by Canadian police services. It is Canada's primary source of information to monitor the nature and extent of police-reported crime across the country. As such, collecting information on the Indigenous or racialized identity of victims and accused persons through the UCR Survey is crucial to understand their experiences as it relates to policing, and the criminal justice system more broadly.

Although data linkage to other surveys, including the long form census, presents an opportunity for some further analyses, linkage is currently not a viable alternative to collection of Indigenous and racialized identity information through the UCR for various reasons. For example, these data cannot be derived from other data sources at Statistics Canada as only a fraction of the Canadian population receives the long-form census which collects information on Indigenous and racialized identity. Additionally, linkage to sample would yield poor quality results as only a small fraction of individuals have contact with police, and capturing that population in a sample survey would prove to be challenging. Moreover, currently, not all police services report name information through the UCR—a key variable for performing data linkages—which would further impact the ability to link the UCR data to other sources to gain information on Indigenous and racialized identity.

Mitigation factors:

Some of the variables contained in the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) such as names, date of birth and gender are considered sensitive as they directly identify individuals coming into contact with the police in the context of a criminal incident. The overall risk of harm to the survey respondents has been deemed manageable with existing Statistics Canada safeguards that are described in Statistics Canada's Generic Privacy Impact Assessment, as well as with some additional measures implemented specifically for the UCR. Data related to Indigenous and racialized identity could be perceived as of a higher sensitivity due to issues of poor relations between the police and Indigenous people and racialized people in Canada and mistrust rooted in historical contextsFootnote 10. Additional safeguard measures will therefore be applied on these variables.

Existing measures for all Statistics Canada surveys

The following describes some of the measures that apply to all surveys but that demonstrate safeguards of particular importance for the UCR:

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey has collected aggregate police-reported data since 1962 and Incident-based data on the characteristics of all criminal incidents, victims and accused persons since 1988. The ongoing success of the UCR Incident-based Survey is dependent on the cooperation and participation of the police services across Canada. Statistics Canada takes great care to respect the trust that respondent police services place in Statistics Canada to safeguard the information that they have supplied. The confidentiality provisions stipulated by Paragraph 17(1)(b) of the Statistics Act require that the characteristics of individual incidents, accused or victims not be disseminated to the publicFootnote 11. In addition to legislative requirements outlined by the Statistics Act, the Government of Canada and Statistics Canada have established a number of policies around collecting and storing sensitive statistical information, such as data collected through the UCR; these include the Federal Policy on Government SecurityFootnote 12, and Statistics Canada's IT Security Policy and Policy on Privacy and Confidentiality.

To ensure compliance with these security requirements, physical security measures are put in place whereby data, including that of the UCR, are stored in a secure location where access is controlled and limited only to authorized persons on a need-to-know basis. More specifically, access to the data is controlled by file permissions and these permissions are only granted in a way to permit the minimum access necessary to program service delivery. All Statistics Canada employees, including deemed employeesFootnote 13, involved in the production of statistics are aware of their obligation to protect confidentiality and of the legal penalties for wrongful disclosure.

Furthermore, direct identifiers (e.g., for the UCR, names and address of the victims or accused persons) are removed from the data files during UCR data processing steps and the files that contain these variables are stored in a separate secure environment. Secure practices and processes are used in the production of statistics and access to any protected information is based strictly on the need-to-know principle and is limited to only those persons whose current work-related responsibilities require access to the information.

Existing measures for the UCR broadly

The following describes some of the additional measures that apply to the UCR:

Statistics Canada's Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS) also takes specific steps to preserve data confidentiality and where data users have access to microdata, for example, via Statistics Canada's Research Data Centres (RDCs)Footnote 14, confidentiality vetting guidelines specific to the UCR Survey have been developed in order to prevent the release of potentially sensitive information that pertains to the characteristics of a particular individual or incident.

Generally speaking, these measures include the UCR data made available in the RDCs for statistical research and analysis, and the results (outputs) of this analysis that can be exported out of the RDCs.

UCR data available in RDCs

  1. A review of all the UCR variables was conducted to determine which variables would be included for access in the RDCs and which would not. Variables were marked for exclusion for one of two main reasons:
    1. Direct identifiers – the variables that identify specific individuals or incidents (e.g., name of victim, name of accused, FPS (Finger Print Information System) number, police report number (incident file number)). These variables are not available in the RDCs under any circumstances.
    2. Data quality issues – the data received from police services that are of poor or unknown quality.
  2. Consideration is also given to possible confidentiality risks that might be associated with the response categories for certain UCR variables, as these responses could potentially reveal sensitive information about the incident/accused/victim. For example, the precise time and date of particular incidents may be particularly revealing and as such are not releasable. When presenting data by these variables (e.g., cross-tabulating type of violation by time of incident), the researcher is required to collapse the time into 6-hour intervals. Therefore, where necessary, sensitive response categories are aggregated or collapsed into a more generic category to reduce any risk of disclosure.
  3. Similarly, individual violation codes for criminal offences captured on the UCR were examined to discern if there were any potential confidentiality issues that might result from releasing information for particular violation codes. Sensitive violation codes such as those related to the sexual violation of children, are grouped into a single category as 'Other Sexual Violations', therefore aggregated or collapsed under a more generic code to reduce any risk of disclosure.
  4. Finally, the retained variables were examined to identify any potentially sensitive variables (i.e., indirect identifiers or sensitive variables), that could, either alone or when appearing in conjunction with other variables, disclose confidential information. Once the potentially sensitive variables were identified, disclosure rules were then developed to manage the confidentiality concerns related to these variables.

UCR research and analysis outputs that can leave the RDCs

In order for statistical outputs resulting from analysis of the UCR data to receive approval for removal from the RDCs, the following confidentiality vetting rules must be satisfied.

First and foremost, statistical outputs may not be removed from the RDC if they can lead to the possible identification of a particular victim, accused person or incident.

For frequency tables (i.e., counts, rates, totals), a scoring method is used by the RDC analyst to determine the disclosure risk score for each table. The score is based on the nature and level of detail of the variables that make up that table and increases as more sensitive variables are included. Variables that are potentially more sensitive (i.e., those associated with a higher risk of identification or revealing a characteristic that can be attributed to a single individual or incident) are given higher scores. The lowest score is a 0 and is awarded to variables associated with an extremely low risk of disclosure, whereas a score of 8 is given when the risk of disclosure is extremely high. Researchers will score their tables themselves. Then, after tallying the total disclosure risk score for a table, the researcher, in consultation with the RDC analyst, then compares the table score to the established threshold to determine whether or not it can be released.

For the UCR, the threshold for disclosure risk scores is 7. Frequency tables with scores at or below the threshold may be released as is – regardless of the cell count. Tables with disclosure risk scores above the threshold will not be releasable. In cases where tables score above the threshold, researchers may want to consider removing one or more sensitive variables or try using an aggregated variable to lower the table's overall score. Alternately, with a few exceptions, researchers can choose to apply a controlled rounding process (rounding to base 5) to their tables. The RDC analyst will verify that the rounding program has been applied correctly.

Measures specific to Indigenous and racialized identity data

After consulting with experts (including academics and community organizations), the existing measures for the UCR will be revisited and adapted (if necessary) for the new Indigenous and racialized identity data collected. Additional measures (e.g., specific vetting rules) may also be added for the Indigenous and racialized identity information to avoid the release of data that could potentially identify individuals.

All Statistics Canada directives and policies for obtaining administrative data under the Statistics Act and dissemination of the data are followed, and information released does not disclose any information identifying victims or accused involved in a criminal incident reported by the police.

Similar to other personal identifier information on victims and accused, including age and gender, information on Indigenous and racialized identity will be disseminated in a manner that ensures anonymity. More specifically, Statistics Canada does not release any tables or cross-tabulations that may identify directly or indirectly a particular victim or accused person by the specifics of an offence. If necessary, data will be suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

Statistics Canada will engage its partners to determine additional vetting rules required to ensure confidentiality of victims and accused persons. Further, Statistics Canada will establish dissemination and disclosure rules that will ensure that dissemination of UCR data related to Indigenous or racialized identity is done without compromising confidentiality or making any particular individual identifiable.

Given that the data will be collected by police during (or related to) a police interaction, and recognizing the power differential, to mitigate concerns related to informed consent, Statistics Canada will ensure that:

  • Community organizations are consulted regarding how to ensure that there is informed consent and how to ensure that communities are aware of their right to refuse to provide this information without fear for reprisal;
  • There is a standardized collection protocol for police services which allows for an individual to refuse to self-identify (e.g., an option to select "refusal");
  • All guidelines and recommendations developed as part of this initiative as they relate to collection of self-identification data will emphasize the importance of informed consent;
  • Training is developed for police services as part of this initiative that will include information on systemic racism, the purposes of collecting this data and power differentials, and emphasize the importance of informed consent without reprisal; and
  • Police services are discouraged from using any part of the self-identification data collection process as a performance metric, and instead encouraged to clarify this to members of their service through the development of systems of reassurance for their service members and the communities they serve.

Conclusion:

This assessment concludes that, with the existing Statistics Canada safeguards and additional mitigation factors listed above, any remaining risks are such that Statistics Canada is prepared to accept and manage the risk.

Formal approval:

This Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment has been reviewed and recommended for approval by Statistics Canada's Chief Privacy Officer, Director General for Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science, and Assistant Chief Statistician for Social, Health and Labour Statistics Field.

The Chief Statistician of Canada has the authority for section 10 of the Privacy Act for Statistics Canada, and is responsible for the Agency’s operations, including the program area mentioned in this Supplementary Privacy Impact Assessment.

This Privacy Impact Assessment has been approved by the Chief Statistician of Canada.

Appendix 1 – Personal Information Bank

Crime Statistics

Description: This bank describes information that is obtained from police services on characteristics of criminal incidents, victims, and accused persons. Specifically, this bank includes the name, date of birth, sex, Indigenous identity (self-identified and/or officer-perception), racialized identity (self-identified and/or officer-perception), fingerprint ID number, and address of both victims and accused persons.

Class of Individuals: Individuals who are victims of crimes and individuals who are accused of committing a crime.

Purpose: The personal information is used to produce statistical information relating to the nature and extent of crime in Canada and to describe the circumstances of crime incidents as well as the characteristics of victims and accused persons. Personal information is collected pursuant to the Statistics Act (Sections 3, 7, 13).

Consistent Uses: The information is often used in record linkage projects with other justice datasets carried out by Statistics Canada's Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS), including Homicide Statistics (StatCan PPU 025) and may also be combined with other Statistics Canada databases. These projects are completed on an ad hoc basis. Further, with the authorization of police services, the data may be provided to provincial and territorial ministries of justice, for statistical and research purposes, as permitted under the provisions of Subsection 17(2) of the Statistics Act.

Retention and Disposal Standards: Information is retained until it is no longer required for statistical purposes and then it is destroyed.

RDA Number: 2018/007
Related Record Number: StatCan CCJ 135
TBS Registration: 20160030
Bank Number: StatCan PPU 029

Appendix 2 – Recommendations from the Phase 1 consultative engagement related to collection of police-Reported Indigenous and Racialized Identity data via the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

Report and Draft Recommendations: Police-Reported Indigenous and Racialized Identity Statistics via the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

Recommendation 1

The collection of information on the Indigenous and racialized identity of accused persons and victims of crimes through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey should be conducted through both the “officer perception” method and the “self-identification” method.

Recommendation 2

The collection of information on the Indigenous and racialized identity of accused persons and victims of crimes through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey be conducted using Statistics Canada’s standardized population group categories for both the “self-identification” method and “officer perception” method.

Recommendation 3

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police work together with Statistics Canada and other parties of interest to establish national collection standards and guidelines that will integrate with police procedures, processes, and workflow.

Recommendation 4

Any training delivered by Statistics Canada or the police community should emphasize the importance of the data collection initiative and the benefits for the Canadian population, policy-makers, and the police.

Recommendation 5

The analysis and use of information on the Indigenous and racialized identity of accused persons and victims of crimes be done in a manner that reflects the realities experienced by Indigenous and racialized communities through the inclusion of context to all its publications and related dissemination products.

Recommendation 6

To ensure consistency, the standards developed in the context of this initiative should be considered for future data collection within justice and community safety sectors.

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