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Crime statistics for England & Wales: what's happening to each offence? Crime statistics for England & Wales: what's happening to each offence?
(4 months later)
There are "lies, damned lies and crime statistics", as Alan Travis wrote for us. And the latest figures for England and Wales are out today. Crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales fell by 4.2% between the years ending March 2011 and March 2012, according to the latest crime statistics.
For the first time, they're published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - here's the link - rather than the Home Office. The switchover hasn't done anything to make them any less opaque, however, and we'll have to wait for more detailed annual tables for 2011/12. These cover the figures up to the end of 2011. And the data shows that muggings and street robberies are up - despite an overall fall in crime. Total numbers of crimes recorded for nine of the ten main categories of offence fell compared to the previous year, with criminal damage showing a fall of almost 10%.
As Alan Travis writes here, the trend flies in the face of predictions that the recession would see a rise in crime.
The key figures are:The key figures are:
• Total recorded crime fell from 4,159,553 to 4,043,339 - a fall of 3%
/>• Muggings and street robberies increased by 8% last year
/>• Violence against the person decreased by 7%
/>• Domestic burglaries dropped 3%
/>• Car thefts increased by 2%
/>• Separate figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) - the new name for the British Crime Survey - showed "no statistically significant change in overall crime" with police recording 3% fewer incidents 		• Total of 3,976,312 recorded crimes for the year ending March 2012 was - a year-on-year fall of 4.2%
/>• Homicides are now at their lowest level since 1983
/>• Violence against the person is down 7.2% year-on-year, from 822,000 to 763,000
/>• Offences against vehicles (includes car theft) also fell 7.2% year-on-year, to 417,444
/>• Criminal damage decreased by 10% to 631,221
/>• Only one main category of crime - 'other theft offences' (offences excluding robbery, burglary and offences against vehicles) rose year-on-year. The total in 2011/12 was 1,105,117 - a 2.5% increase
British crime statistics are complicated partly because of double recording. Firstly, there are the official police figures (which historically under-record the true level of crime). Then there is the old British Crime Survey - now the Crime Survey for England and Wales - where 50,000 people are asked for their direct experiences of crime. This is regarded as the most authoritative of either.British crime statistics are complicated partly because of double recording. Firstly, there are the official police figures (which historically under-record the true level of crime). Then there is the old British Crime Survey - now the Crime Survey for England and Wales - where 50,000 people are asked for their direct experiences of crime. This is regarded as the most authoritative of either.
Thanks to Craig Bloodworth of the Information Lab, we can also show the figures by local authority The data release also includes a comprehensive breakdown of statistics for the most violent offences, such as homicides and firearms offences. The figures for 2011/12 showed:
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• Homicides (includes murder, manslaughter and infanticide) fell year-on-year from 638 to 550 - a 13.8% drop
/>• Attempted murders dropped by 7.6%, from 523 to 483
/>• Firearms offences (not inlcuding air weapons) recorded by the police are down by 15.8%. The 2011/12 total of 5,199 represents a continuation of the steady decline since 2005/06, when the figure was more than twice as high
There is more detailed data from the last set of crime figures, which were published by the Home Office previously. Alan Travis explores the link between declining domestic violence and the falling murder rate in greater depth here, writing:
Commentators have suggested that declines of up to 40% in domestic violence incidents reported in public surveys may be due to the provision of better housing and other services that provide women with a realistic alternative to their relationships, the improved economic and educational status of women, and demographic trends
Murder statistics often confound received wisdom. Those figures showed: But one of the most interesting figures is about the perception of crime. The Crime Survey asks people whether they think crime is getting worse where they live and nationally. So, people think crime is getting worse - but not where they live. It's the perception gap between what we know is going on and what we think is going on.
• Of the 636 murders in 2010/11, the biggest single number used a sharp instrument, such as a knife, for the murder weapon
/>• The vast majority of child murder victims are killed by a parent - 36 out of 56. In total, 43 of those victims knew their murderer
/>• The same goes with total murders - 64% were known to their victim, 33% were friends
/>• 60% of murders are caused by a quarrel and loss of temper. Only 3% are as a result of theft or robbery 		We've extracted the key tables for you below. What can you do with them?
Alan Travis wrote that the riots last summer made little difference to the overall crime figures:
The Home Office said the August riots had only a small impact on the overall crime rate, partly because of the way the official counting rules operate. The official police figures link about 5,000 offences to the riots, including 184 incidents of violent disorder, but do not actually class any of them as riot
The police detection rate – meaning that a suspect has been identified and interviewed and there is sufficient evidence to bring a charge – remained at 28% in 2010/11. So, under a third of all crimes get solved.
But one of the most interesting figures is about the perception of crime. The Crime Survey asks people whether they think crime is getting worse where they live and nationally. So, people think crime is getting worse - but not where they live. It's the perception gap between what we know is going on and what we think is going on. Or is that the Daily Mail gap?
The report published last summer said that:
We've extracted the key tables for you below. What can you do with it?
Data summaryData summary
Crime by police force Crimes recorded by police in England and Wales, 2011/12
Click heading to sort table. Download this data Columns show numbers of offences, year-on-year change and rate of offences per 1,000 people. Click headings to sort
Rate per 1,000 pop/households Rates per 1,000 population / households Recorded crime by police force area, English region and Wales, 12 months to March 2012
Recorded crime by police force area, English region and Wales, 12 months to December 2011
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