April 26, 2007: New British Crime Survey Figures

Overall crime in England and Wales has remained stable according to British Crime Survey (BCS) interview data, and has fallen by two per cent according to recorded crime statistics, both published in the quarterly update Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly update to December 2006 published today and available online on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website. Whilst the BCS showed violent crime as stable during 2006, there were 4,000 fewer violent crime incidents recorded by police compared with the same quarter in 2005, with the greatest falls in serious violent crime. Robberies went up slightly.

The BCS estimates 11.1 million crimes were committed against adults living in private households in the 12 months ending December 2006. This is the fourth consecutive quarter that the BCS has shown non-significant increases in all BCS crime. The overall level of crime recorded by the police in quarter ending in  December 2006 decreased by two per cent compared with the same quarter in the previous year.

The BCS shows a statistically significant increase in the risk of being a victim, from 23 per cent in the year to December 2005 to 24 per cent in the year to December 2006. It is argued that this partly reflects statistically significant increases in the overall risk of household crime and of being a victim of vandalism, and is the same level as for the year to September 2006. The risk of being a victim of crime is still significantly lower than the peak of 40 per cent recorded by the BCS in 1995

In the year to December 2006 there was a 16 per cent decrease in firearms offences according to provisional statistics (these figures are subject to revision; a full update on gun crime and homicide figures will be published in January 2008). That equates to 1,761 fewer offences bringing the annual total down to 9,513. Serious and slight injuries from firearms were significantly reduced, by 12 per cent and 28 per cent respectively. Firearms offences resulting in fatalities increased from 53 to 57.

Statistics from the BCS for the year ending December 2006 show:

• Overall crime levels stable at 11.1 million crimes
• Violent crime stable
• Risk of crime up by 1 percentage point from 23 to 24 per cent
• Personal crime and household crime both stable
• Vehicle thefts stable
• Theft from the person stable
• Vandalism up by 11 per cent

The recorded crime quarterly update to December 2006 shows:

• Total recorded crime down 2 per cent
• Domestic burglary down 3 per cent
• Vehicle thefts down 3 per cent
• Violence against the person down 2 per cent
• Robbery up 8 per cent
• Drug offences up 3 per cent

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