Police-recorded crime increases by almost 9%
POLICE-RECORDED crime has increased by almost a 10th, fuelled by rises in homicides, knife-related offences, robberies and theft.
Official figures show forces in Wales and England registered a total of 5.6 million offences in the year to June. This was a rise of 9% compared with the previous 12 months, and it is the highest total for police-recorded crime since the year ending March 2005.
The data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a 14% increase in police-recorded homicide offences, from 630 to 719.
These figures exclude the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.
There were also jumps in the numbers of recorded robberies (up 22%), sexual offences (up 18%), vehiclerelated theft (up 7%) and burglaries (up 2%).
Statisticians said the increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police does not necessarily mean the level of crime has increased.
The other measure used to track levels of offending, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), showed most types of crime have stayed at similar levels to the previous year, including violence. However, estimates drawn from the survey did show an 8% increase in theft compared with the previous year.
Joe Traynor from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice said: “Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has been more stable.
“The latest figures show no change in the total level of crime but variation by crime types. To put today’s crime survey figures into context, only two out of 10 adults experienced crime in the latest year.”
Concerns over serious violence intensified this year after a spate of fatal stabbings and shootings, with London in particular badly hit.
In the latest period, the number of recorded homicides – which includes murder, manslaughter and infanticide – continued an “upward trend” since March 2014, indicating a change to the long-term decrease over the previous decade, according to the ONS report.
The number of offences registered as involving a knife or sharp instrument, 39,332, was the highest since the year ending March 2011, when comparable records started.
The majority of police forces recorded a rise in such offences, while admissions to hospital for assaults involving a sharp instrument are also tracking upwards.
The ONS added vehicle offences, burglary and robbery are thought to show “genuine” increases.
Meanwhile, separate Home Office data showed 8.7% of recorded offences resulted in a charge or summons. In 46.6% of cases, the investigation was completed without a suspect being identified. This percentage was down slightly yearon-year.
Earlier this year, analysis by the Press Association found forces closed hundreds of thousands of residential burglary, vehicle theft and shoplifting investigations without identifying any suspect.
The latest figures sparked fresh scrutiny of police and Government efforts to tackle serious violence and other crime types.
A recent report from Whitehall’s spending watchdog warned arrest rates and victim satisfaction levels are on the slide, and flagged up reductions in the percentage of crimes resulting in charges.
Last week, one of the country’s most senior officers said policing has reached its “tipping point”, with slower emergency responses, more crimes dealt with over the phone and fewer offenders brought to justice.
Policing Minister Nick Hurd said: “This government is determined to tackle all types of crime and we are taking decisive action in a number of areas. To combat serious violence our strategy addresses the root causes of crime with a focus on early intervention and we have announced a new £200m Youth Endowment Fund to support young people at risk of involvement in crime.”