In constructing a weighted crime index for Hong Kong, the Thurstone's metho
d of paired comparisons was used to assess the perceived relative seriousne
ss of fifteen crime typologies. A telephone survey was conducted to collect
data on respondents' judgment on the seriousness of the fifteen crimes. Th
e weights of the fifteen crimes constructed were then used to build up a ti
me series of weighted crime index (WCI). The WCI performs differ entry from
the unweighted crime index (UNCI) during the period 1976 to 1982. The vali
dity of the weights has been tested and the WCI is considered as a better i
ndicator of crime intensity. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese
rved.