To assess crime. Between police statistics and victim investigations (1985-1995).

Assessing crime only by means of quantifying the activity of the public ins titutions in charge of repressing crime has for a long rime meant that ther e must be implicit trust in their action matching security requirements. Tu rning to surveys, at least partially, as all comparable countries have done , progressively, over the last thirty years, shows there is an element of d oubt in this match. The fact that INSEE has introduced a module on victim i nvestigation in its survey (1996), on living conditions of households, crea tes the possibility, for the first time in France, to measure medium-term v ariation over a decade : comparing these results with those from the one an d only national survey currently available (CESDIP, 1986) it can be seen to what extent aggression and attacks on personal effects differ, by both the ir impact and their aspect. It can also be assessed to what extent - this v aries according to the type of victim - the official statistics report both evolution and magnitude. In addition to its lessons on method, this exerci se alters or clarifies the debate on crime.