Today’s crime statistics show an 18% rise in crime over the last
two years, driven by a 54% increase in fraud & computer
misuse - up to a shocking 7 million incidents over the past year.
At the same time, the charge rate is down from 7.5% last year to
just 5.8% - the lowest rate on record. This has fallen from 15.5%
in 2015 - a shocking two-thirds decrease, and is the equivalent
of hundreds of thousands more criminals getting off.
Cautions and other community penalties are also down by nearly
two-thirds from 2015.
Police recorded rape has reached its highest ever level, and the
charge rate for rate still stands at a shocking 1.3%. Recorded
knife-enabled rape is now at its highest point on record, up 34%
on 2019.
While crime over the last two years has been affected by periods
of national lockdown, the ONS refers to increases in police
recorded theft, robbery and violence since the end of
restrictions 9 months ago.
Quarterly recorded crime is now at its highest point on record
(1.6 million), having fallen to 1.2 million during the first few
months of the pandemic.
MP, Labour’s Shadow Home
Secretary, said:
“These figures show the grim truth that crime is going up and
prosecutions and community penalties are going down. Under the
Conservatives more criminals are getting away with it and more
victims are being let down.
“The shameful lack of leadership from the Conservatives on law
and order over many years has done deep damage to policing and
the criminal justice system and there are still 7000 fewer police
in neighbourhood teams than in 2015.
Reported rapes are at their highest ever level yet the charge
rate is a truly appalling 1.3%. Despite continual promises from
the Government, women and girls are being disgracefully let down,
and Ministers are still refusing to accept Labour’s call for
specialist rape investigation teams in every force.
“Labour would bring back neighbourhood policing and stand up for
law and order in our communities."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Statistics on overall crime and
crime outcomes for the year ending December 2021 are available
here:
o https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2021
o https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-year-to-december-2021-data-tables
- According to the ONS, “estimates
from the Telephone-operated Crime Survey for England and Wales
(TCSEW) for the year ending December 2021 compared with the
pre-coronavirus year ending December 2019 show an 18% increase in
total crime, driven by a 54% increase in fraud and computer
misuse offences”
o https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2021
- Total incidents of fraud and
computer misuse are up from 4,575,000 in the year ending December
2019 to 7,030,000 in the year ending December 2021
o Appendix Tables, Table 3 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables
- The overall charge rate stands at
5.8%. This is down from 7.5% in the year to December 2020. The
charge rate has fallen for every single crime type since December
2020.
o Table 2.3, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-year-to-december-2021-data-tables
- The rate of offences receiving an
out-of-court disposal (e.g. caution, cannabis warning, community
resolution) stands at 3.9% - down from 9.2% in 2015
o Table 2.3, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-year-to-december-2021-data-tables
- 67,125 rapes were recorded by
police in the year ending December 2021, whilst 641 rapes were
knife-enabled - up 34% on the year ending December 2019 (478)
o Appendix Tables, Table 1 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables
o Other related tables, Table F3
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesotherrelatedtables
- According to the ONS, violence
offences recorded by the police have exceeded pre-pandemic levels
and theft offences and robbery have increased over the past 9
months:
o https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingdecember2021
