Crime in England and Wales falls to lowest level since 1981
24 Apr 2014 04:36 PM
Crime is down by more than 10% under this
government in both the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales and
police recorded crime statistics.
Statistics released by the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) show that crime is continuing to fall in England and
Wales.
Both the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales
and police recorded crime statistics showed that there has been a drop of more
than 10% since 2010.
Crime is now at its lowest level since the crime survey
began in 1981.
Crime is falling
The
survey showed that there has been a 22% fall in violence in the year ending
December 2013 compared with the previous year. Vandalism and criminal damage
are down 15% and other household theft has dropped by 25%.
Crime Prevention Minister Norman Baker
said:
Under this coalition government, overall crime is down
by more than 10% according to both the independent Crime Survey and police
recorded crime. Today’s statistics are more good news and the evidence is
clear: police reform is working and crime is falling.
Quality
The
Minister added:
We
can have confidence that England and Wales are safer than they have been for
decades, with crime at its lowest level since the survey began in
1981.
The
government has a strong record on reinforcing the independence and
accountability of the statistics. We asked HMIC last June to carry out an audit
of the quality of crime recording in every police force, and the Home Secretary
has written to chief constables emphasising that the police must ensure that
crimes are recorded accurately and honestly.