National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Crime Recording &
Statistics, Chief Constable Bill Skelly said:
“Over the last decade the Crime Survey of England and Wales has
shown falling levels of crime. Statistics released today show
that trend has now halted, as well as showing a nine per cent
increase in police recorded crime.
“Rising crime is placing greater demand on policing as forces
strive to reduce crime as well as respond to a growing
terrorist threat and more calls from the public for help,
including responding to people in crisis when other agencies
lack their own capacity.
“The gap between crimes reported and those that end in a
criminal justice outcome is a real concern for us. A
range of factors affect detection rates. Firstly police
forces are improving the way they record crime, including
crimes that have no suspect and little prospect of a criminal
justice outcome. There are also significant rises in
cases that are complex to investigate such as child sexual
exploitation, abuse and online fraud. In many of these cases,
multiple crimes are recorded which victims may not wish to take
through to prosecution. Increased demand and fewer
officer numbers have also had an impact.
“We’re using a range of tactics to bear down on violence – a
new coordination centre to improve the response to county lines
networks was established in September and a national operation
this month led to hundreds of arrests and the safeguarding of
vulnerable people. This action must be supported by
cross-agency early intervention and prevention to tackle the
root causes of crime.
“The upcoming spending review is a crucial opportunity for the
government and police leaders to come to a consensus about
police demand, our capabilities to meet it and the funding
required.”
