The Office for National Statistics has published the latest annual statistical bulletin: ‘Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending March 2014’ which draws on two principal sources of data: the Crime Survey for England and Wales and police recorded crime. The crime survey covers a broad range of victim based crimes and includes crimes which do not come to the attention of the police.
Key messages include:
- a 20% fall in violence compared to the previous year according to the crime survey
- a 6% increase in police recorded ‘violence against the person’ thought due to improved recording
- Sexual offences recorded by the police saw a 20% rise from the previous year and continues the pattern seen in recent publications. This rise is related to the effect of the Operation Yewtree investigation, connected to the Jimmy Savile inquiry, whereby more victims are coming forward to report offences to the police. Improved compliance with the recording standards for sexual offences in some police forces may also be a factor.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-march-2014/stb-crime-stats.html
