There has been a 14% rise in domestic burglaries and a 6% rise in violent crime in the past year, according to the annual crime figures for 2010/11.
However, overall crime levels have remained flat or continued on a downward trend, with police crime figures showing a 4% fall and the more authoritative British Crime Survey indicating a 1% rise in overall crime levels. The Home Office said they indicate the remarkable reduction in the crime rate in England and Wales recorded in recent years is slowing down.
But Home Office statisticians said that despite predictions of crime rises linked to the recession and rising unemployment, there was no consistent evidence of "upward pressure" on crimes involving property as a result of the difficult economic conditions.
They said, however, that a 4% rise in the theft of unattended mobile phones and purses in the "other theft" category could be an early sign that larger increases were on the way.
The official statisticians also said the 14% rise in domestic burglaries reported by the British Crime Survey over 2010/11 was out of line with the trend for the past five years. They said it should be seen in the context of the burglary rate for the previous year, 2009/10, being the lowest for nearly 30 years. Police crime figures reported a 3% fall in burglaries across England and Wales.
The rest of the crime figures, published on Thursday, show continuing falls across other crime categories, including a remarkable 9% fall in vandalism as measured by the BCS and a 13% fall in criminal damage and 9% drop in car crime on the police figures.
The murder rate in England and Wales rose from 618 to 642 homicides in 2010/11, which included the 12 victims of the Cumbria shootings in June 2010. Sexual offences as recorded by the police rose by 1%.
Overall, the BCS estimated there were 9.6m crimes in 2010/11 compared with 9.5m the year before. Police recorded 4.2m offences, a 4% fall compared with 4.3m the previous year and its lowest level since 2002. The police detection rate – meaning that a suspect has been identified and interviewed and there is sufficient evidence to bring a charge – remained at 28%.
Chief Constable Jon Murphy, head of crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "The official crime statistics show that the risk of being a victim of crime remains historically low. It does, however, warn that the drops in crime recorded since the mid 1990s may begin to ease.
"Of particular interest is the area of burglary and some other thefts, and we will be looking closely at both bulletins to see whether there are emerging patterns of criminality in those areas."
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: "After years of falling crime, these figures show the further progress people want is now at risk and there are some very worrying signs.
"Burglary is up by 14%, domestic violence is up by a shocking 35%, violent crime is up, including a 38%increase in assault with minor injury.
"Overall crime hasn't fallen this year, after a drop of over 40% during the Labour years.
"Now is not the time for the government to take risks with community safety by cutting over 12,000 police officers. People want crime to fall further and the government is doing nothing to help."
But the Home Office minister James Brokenshire said: "We have consistently argued that crime is too high and that is why our policing reforms are so urgently needed. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home and local community.
"We want to make the police more accountable to the public they serve and ensure that local policing priorities are focused on what local people want, not on what central government thinks they want."
He added: "We are placing power back in the hands of the people, giving them a proper say in how their local area is policed through elected police and crime commissioners."
by Alan Travis taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/14/burglaries-up-crime-figures
However, overall crime levels have remained flat or continued on a downward trend, with police crime figures showing a 4% fall and the more authoritative British Crime Survey indicating a 1% rise in overall crime levels. The Home Office said they indicate the remarkable reduction in the crime rate in England and Wales recorded in recent years is slowing down.
But Home Office statisticians said that despite predictions of crime rises linked to the recession and rising unemployment, there was no consistent evidence of "upward pressure" on crimes involving property as a result of the difficult economic conditions.
They said, however, that a 4% rise in the theft of unattended mobile phones and purses in the "other theft" category could be an early sign that larger increases were on the way.
The official statisticians also said the 14% rise in domestic burglaries reported by the British Crime Survey over 2010/11 was out of line with the trend for the past five years. They said it should be seen in the context of the burglary rate for the previous year, 2009/10, being the lowest for nearly 30 years. Police crime figures reported a 3% fall in burglaries across England and Wales.
The rest of the crime figures, published on Thursday, show continuing falls across other crime categories, including a remarkable 9% fall in vandalism as measured by the BCS and a 13% fall in criminal damage and 9% drop in car crime on the police figures.
The murder rate in England and Wales rose from 618 to 642 homicides in 2010/11, which included the 12 victims of the Cumbria shootings in June 2010. Sexual offences as recorded by the police rose by 1%.
Overall, the BCS estimated there were 9.6m crimes in 2010/11 compared with 9.5m the year before. Police recorded 4.2m offences, a 4% fall compared with 4.3m the previous year and its lowest level since 2002. The police detection rate – meaning that a suspect has been identified and interviewed and there is sufficient evidence to bring a charge – remained at 28%.
Chief Constable Jon Murphy, head of crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "The official crime statistics show that the risk of being a victim of crime remains historically low. It does, however, warn that the drops in crime recorded since the mid 1990s may begin to ease.
"Of particular interest is the area of burglary and some other thefts, and we will be looking closely at both bulletins to see whether there are emerging patterns of criminality in those areas."
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: "After years of falling crime, these figures show the further progress people want is now at risk and there are some very worrying signs.
"Burglary is up by 14%, domestic violence is up by a shocking 35%, violent crime is up, including a 38%increase in assault with minor injury.
"Overall crime hasn't fallen this year, after a drop of over 40% during the Labour years.
"Now is not the time for the government to take risks with community safety by cutting over 12,000 police officers. People want crime to fall further and the government is doing nothing to help."
But the Home Office minister James Brokenshire said: "We have consistently argued that crime is too high and that is why our policing reforms are so urgently needed. Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home and local community.
"We want to make the police more accountable to the public they serve and ensure that local policing priorities are focused on what local people want, not on what central government thinks they want."
He added: "We are placing power back in the hands of the people, giving them a proper say in how their local area is policed through elected police and crime commissioners."
by Alan Travis taken from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/14/burglaries-up-crime-figures
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