21/07/2005

Police report violent crime reaches new high

The number of cases of violent crime against people recorded by police has reached a new high.

Police figures recorded 1,035,046 cases in England and Wales in the year 2004 to 2005 - a rise of 8% on the previous year.

Overall crime figures dropped by 6% to 5.6 million incidents, with a 20% fall in burglary and a 17% fall in car thefts.

However, gun crimes increased by 6% to almost 11,000 incidents. In England and Wales 73 people were killed by guns.

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears emphasised that the increase in the police figures for violent crime was as a result of better reporting procedures for offences.

Ms Blears pointed to a separate set of figures produced in the British Crime Survey that indicated a decrease in violent crime by 11%. The BCS was based on interviews with 45,000 people and this sample revealed a marked drop in violent crime.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said that the figures provided further evidence of a failure by government to deal with violent crime.

Mr Davis said that proposals to introduce 24-hour drinking "beggared belief" and called for a properly constituted pilot to test the proposed scheme. Ms Blears rejected this call as she said the proposals would be kept under constant review.

Figures also indicated a rise in sexual offence, but this was again attributed to improved reporting techniques and reforms in the sex crime laws.

(SP/MB)

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