The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released
current crime statistics which are accompanied by a short video interview with
John Flatley, Head of Crime Statistics at ONS HERE. I am surprised that there hasn't been much media coverage, given that the Crime Survey has found such a large decrease in crime when compared to previous years.
In a report issued by the ONS, Crime has fallen 14% in
England and Wales. This percentage is based on the Crime Survey which is distributed
to members of the public, and is different from Police Recorded Crimes. The
crime survey is based on Victim reported crimes and can include crimes that
have not come to the attention of police. This is the lowest estimate of crime
since the survey began in 1981. The Crime Survey reports that Violent Crime has
fallen by 20%, criminal damage fell by 17% and theft offences decreased by 10%
when compared with the previous year.
Police recorded Crimes are crimes that have been brought to
the attention of the police and have been formally processed. According to
Police Recorded Crime Statistics, there has been no overall change from the
previous year. This could be because of the 7% increase in Police Recorded shoplifting
offences as well as an increase in offences of Fraud (17%). Sometimes considered 'victimless crimes', these crimes would not be represented as much in the Crime Survey (which we know is completed by Victims). Finally, police
recorded sexual offences also saw a rise of 20% from the previous year, which
is believed to be an outcome of Operation Yewtree (Jimmy Savile inquiry).
For more information and updated Crime Statistics, please
visit the Office for National Statistics by clicking HERE
A. Neaverson
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