While Trump's tariffs dominate headlines, a different kind of classification problem is playing out much closer to home. In West Yorkshire, police are labeling one in seven crimes as simply 'Other Crime' - a bureaucratic dustbin that tells us nothing about what's actually happening to victims.

Take Leeds or Bradford. When someone reports a crime there, it gets sorted into neat categories: Violent Crime, Drugs, Public Order. But 20 out of every 138 crimes end up in the mysterious 'Other Crime' bucket. That's 14.5% of all reported incidents that somehow don't fit the system's definitions.

The numbers reveal a curious hierarchy of clarity. Violent Crime dominates with 58 cases - that's specific enough. Drug offences clock in at 13, Public Order at 10, Criminal Damage and Arson at 8. All concrete, all meaningful to residents trying to understand their area's safety. But then there's that stubborn 20 cases that apparently defy categorisation.

This isn't just West Yorkshire being sloppy. Across England and Wales, 'Other Crime' categories have become dumping grounds for incidents that police forces either can't or won't specify. Modern offences that don't fit 1970s classification systems. Crimes that span multiple categories. Or simply cases where busy officers tick the easiest box.

The problem compounds when politicians cite crime statistics. They'll point to falling burglary rates or rising violent crime, but nearly 15% of West Yorkshire's criminal landscape remains hidden in plain sight. Residents reading local crime reports see 'Other Crime' and learn nothing about whether it's fraud, cybercrime, domestic abuse, or something else entirely.

For a region that includes major cities like Leeds and Sheffield's neighbouring areas, this lack of precision matters. Business owners can't assess risks they can't identify. Community groups can't tackle problems they can't name. Local councils can't allocate resources to address unspecified threats.

The irony is stark. At a time when data drives everything from policing strategies to insurance premiums, West Yorkshire's crime statistics include a black hole that would make any analyst wince. While trade experts debate the precise impact of 10% tariffs on toy imports, residents of Britain's fourth-largest police force area are left guessing what comprises a seventh of their local crime statistics.

(Source: Police UK, crime-west-yorkshire)