Robberies on the increase as conviction rate is falling

Home Office warns a drop in punishment and prison terms could trigger crime rise across the country

ROBBERY is rising but the conviction rate is falling, official figures have revealed, as the Home Office warned it is a gateway crime to more violent offending.

Government experts said criminals are less likely to offend if they know that they are going to be sent to prison, even if they think they will get a long prison term, so fewer convictions could also fuel a rise in crime across the country.

According to the most recent numbers, robberies have been going up across England and Wales but the number of people found guilty and punished has been going down.

Robbery rose by 10 per cent between 2015 and 2016 alone, according to a Home Office report out yesterday.

It follows a special investigation by The Daily Telegraph over the weekend that found burglary is also increasing across England and Wale, but two thirds of cases are not investigated because police do not have the resources to tackle the spike in crime.

Amber Rudd’s report on serious violence warned committing a robbery makes it more likely that young people will go on to get involved in more serious crime, suggesting it is a gateway offence to more serious violence.

It stated: “Studies show that those who commit robbery and use weapons before they reach the age of 18 are much more likely to have long criminal careers than young people who commit less serious crimes.

“First-time offenders who commit robbery are around three times more likely to go on to commit 15 or more offences within the next nine years.”

Official figures show there was a six per cent increase in the number of 1017 year olds arrested for robbery in 2016/17 while the number of adults robbing other people fell. It comes after a sustained fall in the number of teenagers robbing others over the previous five years.

Experts believe some of the increase is down to better police recording, but the spike among young people tracks other similar trends in knife violence – which has risen significantly.

The report also revealed that 21 per cent of all robbery offences involve the use, or the threat of the use, of a knife.

Speaking at the launch of the report yesterday Ms Rudd warned it will take a coordinated effort across a number of public services to tackle the causes of knife crime, gun crime and robbery, as the report revealed that strong links to school and a solid family unit can help steer teenagers away from violence.

Peer pressure also emerged as a key theme, amid fears young people feel they have to tick off a list of crimes, including stabbing someone and stealing from them, in order to be accepted into a gang.

Experts believe the declining conviction rate is in part due to the increased pressure on police to investigate domestic violence and historic sexual offences, it is understood.

Home Office ministers have denied claims police do not have the time to investigate crimes like burglary and robbery, but Ms Rudd has said officers will get extra funding to recognise the increased demands on their time.

Yesterday Conservative MP Victoria Atkins was left embarrassed when she failed to remember the number of police officers on Britain’s streets.

Asked on LBC Radio what the total number of police officers across the UK is she replied: “I’m not going to hazard a guess, I’m just going to front up and say I’m so sorry. That number’s slipped my mind.”