Statistics
Crime in England & Wales 2004-05
Crime in England & Wales combines the recorded crime figures and the British Crime Survey (BCS) to produce the definitive report on crime statistics in England & Wales. It is published annually each July, and contains data for the year to April. Crime in England & Wales 2004-05 - covering the 12 months to April 2005 - shows a fall in the overall number of crimes, but a rise in violent crime.
Title: Crime in England & Wales 2004-05
Authors: Sian Nicholas, David Povey, Alison Walker and Chris Kershaw
Series: Home Office Statistical Bulletin 11/05
Number of pages:
178
Date published: July 2005
Availability:
View full report on Home Office RDS website
Key Points
Extent & trends
Since peaking in 1995, BCS crime has fallen by 44%, representing 8.5 million fewer crimes, with vehicle crime and burglary falling by over a half (both by 57%) and violent crime falling by 43% during this period.
Violent crime has decreased by 11% according to BCS interviews in 2004/05 compared with 2003/04. Recorded crime statistics show a 7% increase in violent crime in 2004/05 compared with 2003/04, although this increase is partly due to the continuing effect of recording changes.
The risk of becoming a victim of crime has fallen from 40% in 1995 to 24% according to BCS interviews in 2004/05, representing almost six million fewer victims. This is the lowest level recorded since the BCS began in 1981.
According to the BCS, the proportion of people believing that crime has increased over the past two years, both in their local area (42%) and in the country as a whole (61%), has fallen compared with the previous year.
Levels of worry about car crime have fallen compared with the previous year, levels of worry about burglary and violent crime have now stabilised after recent falls.
The overall level of perceived anti-social behaviour has remained stable over the last year. One in six people currently perceive a high level of disorder in their local area (17%).
The 2004/05 BCS shows that confidence in the CJS has improved in all areas (where a trend is possible) compared with the previous year.
Percentage changes in the main crime types
according to BCS interviews in 2004/05 compared with 2003/04
Percentage changes in recorded crime, 2003/04 to 2004/05
Reporting and recording crime
There are differences in the number of crimes that are recorded by the police and the number that are measured by the BCS but, in recent periods, they have differed by increasing amounts. Comparisons between them suggest that the increases seen in recorded crime continue to result largely from changes in recording practice. Although recording rule changes were introduced in all police forces in April 2002, it appears that ongoing auditing and improvements are continuing to cause further inflation in the recording of crimes.
The estimated recording rate of comparable reported offences increased from 74% in the year ending September 2003 to 75% for the year ending September 2004. Police recording of crime is at the highest rate on record and between a quarter and a third higher than in 1981, when the introduction of the British Crime Survey first made this comparison possible.
The proportion of reported comparable violent crime that was recorded by the police continued to rise from 62% in the year to September 2003 to 67% in the year to September 2004, up from 36% in 1999.
The public's reporting of crime varies considerably by type of offence. Thefts of vehicles are most likely to be reported (95%), followed by burglaries in which something was stolen (77%). Reporting rates are relatively low for crimes such as common assault, theft from the person and vandalism (34%, 32% and 32% in 2004/05).
Property crime
Both the BCS and police recorded crime show a fall in the number of burglaries between 2003/04 and 2004/05. Domestic burglaries measured by the BCS fell by 20%. Police recorded domestic burglaries also fell by 20%, and non-domestic burglaries by 14%.
The fall in vehicle-related thefts since the mid 1990s has continued in the most recent period. A fall of 11% was measured by the BCS and 17% by police recorded crime between 2003/04 and 2004/05.
Criminal damage remained stable between 2003/04 and 2004/05 as measured by the BCS. The police recorded a 2% fall in criminal damage between 2003/04 and 2004/05.
The risk of being a victim of either burglary or vehicle-related theft has halved since 1995 and is much reduced for other property crimes.
For both burglary and vehicle-related crime, having security measures in place was strongly associated with lower levels of victimisation. For example, while 83% of all homes had window locks in 2004/05, this was the case in only 36% of homes where a burglar got into the property.
Violent crime
Violent crime as measured by the BCS has fallen by 43% since a peak in 1995, an estimated 1.8 million fewer incidents.
46% of all violent incidents reported to the BCS did not result in any injury to the victim. At least 48% of all police recorded violence against the person involved no injury in 2004/05.
Young men, aged 16 to 24, were most at risk of being a victim of violent crime - 14.6% experienced a violent crime of some sort in the year prior to their BCS interview in 2004/05.
There were 1,184,702 violent crimes recorded by the police in 2004/05, an increase of 7% since 2003/04. Part of this increase is likely to be due to the continuing impact of changes in recording and more proactive policing to counter violence problems.
Police recorded robbery fell by 12% between 2003/04 and 2004/05.
The number of homicides and recorded firearm offences increased in 2004/05, by 1% and 6% respectively.
Detection of crime
There were just over 1.4 million detected crimes in 2004/05. Some other crimes may have had a suspect identified, but not met the definition of detected crime. The number of recorded detections in 2004/05 was up by 2% on 2003/04 figures.
The detection rate in 2004/05 increased by three percentage points to 26%.
The proportion of recorded crimes that were detected through an offender being charged or summoned, cautioned, having an offence taken into consideration, receiving a fixed penalty notice or a formal warning for cannabis possession ('sanction' detections), was 21%; 5% of crimes detected were 'administrative', that is no further action was taken. The relative weight of sanction and administrative detections varied widely by force.
There was an increase in the proportion of crimes resulting in a sanction detection between 2003/04 and 2004/05, equivalent to a two percentage point increase in the sanction detection rate.
Last update: 21 July 2005