Crime in England and Wales has fallen by five per cent according to the British Crime Survey (BCS), the most authoritative and reliable indicator of crime trends. Police recorded crime, compared to the same quarter last year, for the three months to June 2003, shows crime remains stable.
The quarterly update, the first to be published without adjustments to take account of the impact of the national crime recording standard, shows that police recorded burglary, robbery and vehicle crime, have all fallen significantly. Both the risk of being a victim of crime and the risk of being burgled remain at their lowest levels in more than 20 years.
Violent crime is stable, there has been no increase in victims reporting violent crime to the BCS - the figures show a five per cent reduction in violent crime. But there has been an increase in the reporting and recording of violent crimes which have risen by nine per cent. Much of the increase in recorded violent crime is due to better reporting and recording of low level thuggery and more willingness by victims to report sexual assaults.
Tough Government action to tackle anti-social behaviour further was announced this week and will improve everyday life in the areas worst affected by low level crime and disorder. The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy will look at ways to cut city centre violence; a new programme to reduce drug related crime began in April and is starting to take effect; and initiatives to tackle gun crime are already having an impact.
Key figures are:
Total crime: overall crime, as recorded by the BCS, continues to fall while, police recorded crime has remained stable.
Domestic burglary: continues to fall.
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BCS fall of two per cent.
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Police recorded crime fall of four per cent.
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Chance of being burgled at its lowest in 20 years.
Robbery: there continues to be a significant, sustained fall in robbery largely due to the street crime initiative.
Violent crime: overall stable. Serious violence, less serious violence and sexual offences have increased. This can partly be accounted for by continuing effects of recording changes and a greater willingness of victims to come forward.
Much of what is recorded as violent crime, such as common assault that amounts to pushing and shoving, involves little or no physical injury to the victim.
Vehicle crime: thefts of and from a vehicle continue to fall.
Victimisation rate:
Provisional data on the latest trends in gun crime, also published today, show that the total number of firearm offences in 2002/03 (excluding offences involving air weapons) increased by three per cent. This compares to a 35 per cent increase in 2001/02. The update shows firearm offences have been falling since November last year. Final figures for 2002/3 will be published in January.
Around 17 per cent of offences using firearms resulted in physical harm, the majority of which involved only minor injury. Last year there were 80 fatal incidents compared to 95 the year before - a reduction of around one sixth.
Home Office Minister, Hazel Blears, said:
"Crime overall is continuing to fall and offences such as burglary, robbery and vehicle crime, crimes which concern people the most, are showing significant falls. Measures to combat anti-social behaviour, street crime and schemes to cut drug-related crime are making an impact and contributing to keeping these crimes at a low level."
"The increase in serious violence is an area of concern and I'm encouraged by more intensive policing and the impact of new measures to tackle gun crime. The risk of a fatal shooting in England and Wales is still one of the lowest in the world but every crime involving a firearm is a serious concern and every life lost to gun crime is a terrible tragedy. We are working hard to encourage domestic violence victims and victims of sexual offences to report every single crime and we would expect to see these figures increase.
"The BCS reports levels of worry about crime are going down. People are starting to feel safer and get the message that the chance of being a victim of crime is at its lowest in 20 years.
"But in order to make a difference people need to see the difference. That is why we have more police officers on our streets than ever before - 136,386 - and an additional 1,933 Community Support Officers. But we are not complacent, and we are not stopping there. We are in the process of reforming the criminal justice system across the board, bringing a greater number of criminals to justice with the aim of re-balancing the system. We want individuals, communities and society to be safer and to feel safer."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. 'Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly update to June 2003' is published today. Copies can be read at
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html.
2. The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced formally in all police forces in April 2002 and informally in a number of forces prior to this.
3. Increases in the percentage of incidents of violent crime reported to the police were included in 'Crime in England and Wales 2002-3' published on July 17 2003. Table 3.06 shows that the percentage of common assaults reported to the BCS that were reported to the police increased from 25.8 per cent to 34.1 per cent. The percentage of violent crimes reported to the BCS that were reported to the police increased from 35.4 per cent to 40.6 per cent. This compares with the percentage of overall crime reported to the BCS that was reported to the police increasing from 39.6 per cent 40.4 per cent.
4. The Criminal Justice Interventions Programme (supported by £447 million Government funding) breaks the link between drugs and crime by targeting drug using offenders at all stages in the criminal justice system and getting them into treatment. By treating their addiction which fuels their offending, we can get offenders away from a life of crime and thereby reducing acquisitive crimes such as burglary, theft and vehicle crime.
5. The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill was published on March 27 2003, press notice 069/2003. The Anti Social Behaviour Action Plan was published on October 14 2003, press notice 278/2003.
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