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Rise in police crime detections | Rise in police crime detections |
(20 minutes later) | |
The proportion of recorded crimes cleared up by the police has risen slightly in the past year, according to official figures. | The proportion of recorded crimes cleared up by the police has risen slightly in the past year, according to official figures. |
Home Office statistics show that the proportion of offences dealt with judicially rose by two points to 26% in the year to April 2007. | Home Office statistics show that the proportion of offences dealt with judicially rose by two points to 26% in the year to April 2007. |
The overall crime detection rate has remained the same - just over a quarter of all crimes. | The overall crime detection rate has remained the same - just over a quarter of all crimes. |
The figures show a small national improvement but seven forces saw falls. | The figures show a small national improvement but seven forces saw falls. |
Police forces use two special measures to count how many recorded crimes can be classed as cleared up - or "detected" in the official language. | |
The first group of offences are "sanction detections" - those which result in someone being charged, cautioned, given a warning or some form of judicial penalty. | |
The other group of offences are those where the police know who did it but no further judicial action is taken, such as if a witness cannot give evidence or if the Crown Prosecution Service drops the case. | |
SANCTION DETECTIONS - TOP AND BOTTOM PERFORMERS Dyfed-Powys: 42% Northumbria: 37% London City: 35% Lancashire: 34% Cumbria: 32% Hampshire: 22% Wiltshire: 22% Nottinghamshire: 22% Metropolitan Police: 21% Bedfordshire: 20% | |
According to the figures, 1.4m offences in England and Wales were classed as having being dealt with by a "sanction detection" in 2006-07. A further 80,000 crimes were cleared up through the non-sanction detection. | |
The largest change was seen in the number of recorded violent crimes cleared up judicially - up from 43% to 46%. The overall detection rate for all crimes remained at approximately 27%, the same as the previous year. | |
However, while the headline figures represented a slight improvement, the detail reveals a more complicated picture. | |
The number of recorded crimes being dealt with by a charge or summons fell by just over 4% - some 31,554 offences. | |
In contrast, the number of cautions rose by 46,375 - almost a 15% change on the previous year. The number of cases classed as cleared up through a "non-sanction detection" more than halved, reflecting a policy shift away from this style of policing. | |
The overall detection rate for crimes fell from approximately 35% in 1988 to a low in 1993, but have since remained relatively stable. | |
Some 35 forces in England and Wales showed an increase in judicial clear-up rates. Seven forces showed falls - Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, City of London, Thames Valley and Wiltshire. |