Crime in England and Wales Down 10% under Conservative Led Government

Overall crime fell by 10% in England and Wales in the year to September 2013, official figures show.

The Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) said there were eight million crimes against households and adults in that period.  It is the lowest estimate since the survey began in 1981.

The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), estimate crime levels based on how many people say they have been victim of a crime.  The ONS also published police figures, which showed there had been 3.7 million offences in the same period, a decrease of 3% compared with the previous year.

Crime Prevention Minister, Norman Baker MP, said, “England and Wales are safer than they have been for decades with crime now at its lowest level since the survey began in 1981.  The government has made clear that recorded crime statistics must be as robust as possible and we have a strong record on reinforcing their independence and accountability.

“We asked HMIC (HM Inspectorate of Constabulary) in June to carry out an audit of the quality of crime recording in every police force.  And earlier this month, the home secretary wrote to chief constables emphasising that the police must ensure that crimes are recorded accurately and honestly.”

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted “congratulations” to police, saying the fall in crime was “bringing security to people”.

The number of sexual offences recorded by police increased by 17%, which the ONS said “is likely to be partly due to a continuation of a ‘Yewtree effect’, whereby a greater number of victims have come forward to report historical sexual offences to the police”.

There were “signs of increasing upward pressures” in some other offences, including a 4% rise in shoplifting and a 7% increase in theft from the person, the ONS said.  Fraud offences recorded by police went up by 34%.

The ONS said, “This rise should be seen in the context of a move towards improved recording of fraud following a move to centralised recording by the police.  In addition, there were 292,814 reports of fraud to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau from industry bodies.”

The CSEW said household crime, related to vehicles and property, was down by 10%, while personal crime, including thefts from the person and violent crimes, was down 9%.  It also estimated there were 859,000 crimes experienced by 10-15 year olds.

There was a 13% fall in violent crime estimated by the survey in the year to September 2013.  The overall number of incidents estimated by the CSEW is 20% lower than in the 2007/8 survey and is less than half the 1995 peak level.

National policing lead on crime statistics, Chief Constable Jeff Farrar, described the fall in crime in the CSEW as “encouraging”.

He said, “Accurate crime statistics are not only essential in holding police accountable for the work they do in the ongoing fight against crime, but also vital in ensuring that police officers and staff are deployed to the right place at the right time.

“It is disappointing that the UK Statistics Authority has decided to remove the National Statistics designation from police-recorded crime statistics as this has come at a time when the service is working to make crime statistics more transparent, more accountable and assure the public of the figures’ integrity.”