NCJ Number
205208
Date Published
2004
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report provides statistics and information on the main types of offenses recorded as child abductions in England and Wales in 2002-03.
Abstract
In this report child abductions have been grouped into four main types: parental child abductions (abductions of a child by a natural parent or guardian); stranger attempted child abductions (unsuccessful attempts at a child abduction by a stranger); stranger successful child abductions; and "other" (successful and attempted abductions of a child by someone with some previous connection to the child). Data on child abduction offenses recorded in 2002-03 were collected from all police forces in England and Wales. There were 846 child abduction offenses recorded by the police for 2002-03. Just over half of all recorded child abductions were attempted abductions. More than half (56 percent) of recorded child abductions were committed by a stranger. Attempted child abductions by strangers constituted the largest single type of child abduction offense (47 percent). In most offenses there was minimal previous contact between the victim and the offender. Successful child abductions by strangers accounted for 9 percent of all child abduction offenses (68 victims). Of the total number of recorded child abduction offenses, 23 percent were committed by a parent. At least 6 percent of child abductions were sexually motivated. "Other" child abduction offenses constituted 22 percent of the total. Recommendations for the recording of child abduction offenses include a review of the definition of parental child abduction to ensure that only appropriate offenses are recorded; a review of the instructions for recording and reclassifying child abductions with a sexual motivation; monitoring of the number of recorded child abduction offenses to determine why they are increasing; and cooperation among government agencies to monitor patterns and trends in parental child abductions overseas. 2 tables, 3 figures, and 8 references