The biggest leap in crime for a decade
5million offences logged last year – one every 6 seconds
POLICE have recorded the largest annual increase in crime for a decade, damning new figures revealed.
Soaring levels of violence, theft and sex attacks fuelled a 10 per cent rise in offences in the year to March.
The concerning figures mark an ongoing reversal of a long-term drop in crime. They are sure to alarm ministers, as experts believe they reflect real increases – rather than just being down to better recording by police.
Almost five million offences were reported – an average of one crime every six seconds. It meant there were an extra 458,021 offences compared with the same period last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Among the worrying increases was a surge in child sex crimes, with an average of more than 225 offences now recorded by police each day. Rapes, sexual assaults and grooming against under-16s soared to 82,633 in the year to March – an increase of 5 per cent.
Meanwhile, sex attacks are at a record high of 121,113 – an average of about one every four minutes.
Yesterday Chief Constable Simon Byrne, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s spokesman for criminal justice, said: ‘The rise in police recorded crime causes us concern, particularly when the number of police officers is at its lowest since 1985. There are genuine rises in a range of crimes.’
The ONS said the surge was partly driven by a rise in ‘violence against the person’, which soared 18 per cent to 175,060 offences.
Violent offences also jumped 18 per cent to more than 1.1million in England and Wales. Attacks in which the victim suffered injures leapt 6 per cent to nearly 466,018.
Knife crime increased 20 per cent rise to 34,700 offences – the highest figure for seven years.
Fraud, including online scams, jumped 5 per cent to 649,770.
Rapes rose by almost 15 per cent last offences79,963 records year– beganto the rose 41,150, highestin by 2002.14 while per level other cent sincesex to because Experts victimssay the were rise moreis willingpartly to report attacks, while police recording practices have improved following criticism by watchdogs. Murder and manslaughter cases are at their highest level in ten years, with 723 homicides in the year to March. This is up 26 per cent on the previous 12 months. Criminologists suggest the rising murder rate could be due to a ‘cocktail’ of factors, such as gang culture, immigration and police focusing on other investigations like historic sex crimes.
However, over the past decade the volume of homicides has decreased while the population has grown. It meant the homicide rate fell 12 per cent between the year ending March 2007 and the year ending March 2017, from 14 homicides per 1 million people to 12 per 1 million.
Police also recorded a 16 per cent increase in robbery. However the number of crimes logged by police is still 20 per cent lower than the number seen in 2006-07 under the Labour government.
The picture was also compli-
‘Rises in a range of crimes’ ‘Great cause for concern’
cated by the Crime Survey, which found a 7 per cent fall in traditional crime to 5.8million.
The survey looks at people’s experiences of crime and includes incidents not reported to police.
Last night Rachel Almeida, of charity Victim Support, said: ‘These [figures] are a great cause for concern, especially given the increase in recorded violent crimes, threatening behaviour and theft.
‘We must ensure that victims have the support and help they deserve.’
Professor David Wilson, a criminologist at Birmingham City University, said: ‘We know police numbers are at their lowest for decades ... We are now seeing the consequences in rising crime.’
Police minister Nick Hurd said: ‘We recognise that crime is changing and we are determined to get ahead of new and emerging threats to the safety and security of our families and communities.’