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The British Crime Survey (BCS) is one of the largest social surveys conducted in Britain. It is primarily a 'victimisation' survey, in which respondents are asked about the experiences of property crimes of the household (e.g. burglary) and personal crimes (e.g. theft from the person) which they themselves have experienced. The reference period to which these questions relate is from the first of January in the calendar year preceding the BCS, up to the date of interview.

The BCS includes crimes that are not reported to the police, so it is an important alternative to police records. The scope of the BCS goes well beyond the counting of criminal incidents, although it is for this estimate that it has become established as a definitive source of information. The BCS helps to identify those most at risk of different types of crime, and this helps in the planning of crime prevention programmes.

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