Hospital assault admissions rise

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7505964.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The number of people in England being admitted to hospital because of assault has risen by 30% over a four-year period, a study shows.

Liverpool John Moores University found assault-related admission rose from 25,789 in 2002-3 to 33,940 in 2005-6.

The figures, from official NHS data, also showed many more admissions in the poorest areas, with young men the most likely victims.

The Home Office said violent crime had fallen by 31% in the last 10 years.

The government this week set out a range of measures, including targeting problem families, to tackle the issue.

But the Tories used the latest figures to suggest the government was losing the battle.

This is yet further damning evidence of our broken society Dominic Grieve, shadow home secretary

The analysis of the figures, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health journal, showed more than 120,000 people were admitted as an emergency as a direct result of violence during the period. Some 14% of the assaults involved a sharp object.

The cost to the NHS in 2005-6 was more than £2bn.

Admissions peaked on Saturdays and Sundays, with about a fifth admitted on each of these days.

Men were almost six times more likely to be victims than women, with the 15 to 29 age group the highest risk group.

Comparing the richest fifth of areas with the poorest, researchers found there was a six-fold difference in rates.

The findings contrast with the British Crime Survey, which measures the public's experience of crime and shows a 14% fall in violent crime.

Medical attention

Lead researcher Professor Mark Bellis said he thought the hospital figures suggested the most serious offences were on the rise because they were the ones which were most likely to leave the victim needing medical attention.

Police recorded crime figures also show a rise over the period - experts believe people are more likely to record a crime if it is serious.

Professor Bellis said the data was important because it showed the differences between ages and areas.

He said: "If you are going to break the cycle of violence we need to know who is being affected."

A Home Office spokesman said the government was determined to make further progress on violent crime, particularly in "hotspot" areas.

He said: "We have already pledged that by 2011 we will have further reduced serious violent crime, including gun and gang-related violence, knife crime, sexual and domestic violence and improved the criminal justice response to these offences."

But shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said: "This is yet further damning evidence of our broken society under Labour as the government fails to address both crime and the causes of crime."

And Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne added: "These shocking figures clearly demonstrate how violent crime is hitting the poorest hardest.

"The surge in violent crime can be directly attributed to the government's continued focus on what sounds tough, rather than what works."