HC Deb 06 July 1978 vol 953 cc639-40
10. Mr. Durant

asked the secretary of State for the Home Department what are the latest criminal statistics for the first six months of 1978.

Mr. John

The number of indictable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in the first quarter of 1978 was 631,000. Information is not yet available for the second quarter.

Mr. Durant

Is the Minister aware that in the Thames Valley alone the crime figures have increased by 11 per cent.? Are these figures based on indictable offences as such or on the number of individuals? In other words, if someone has committed seven offences, does that show as seven or as one?

Mr. John

My answer specified the number of indictable offences, and one person can have more than one indictable offence to his credit—or discredit. I would point out that, whereas the Thames Valley figure may be 11 per cent. up, the overall figure is 3 per cent. up. Although that is by no means encouraging, it is a considerable diminution in the rise as compared with the year before.

Mr. Loyden

What has the Home Office done in deciding how much is due to a higher crime rate as such and how much is due to a higher rate of detection?

Mr. John

This is one of those imponderable questions, because it is due not only to a higher rate of detection but to a higher rate of reporting. One could double the apparent crime rate without a single further crime being committed if more people reported crimes. One can never disentangle these matters. Where crimes are detected, there are adequate powers available to magistrates and the courts to punish offenders.

Mr. Lawrence

Is the Minister aware that only one in three crimes is reported, that of those reported only one in five results in prosecution, and that where there is a prosecution one in two of those who plead not guilty is acquitted? Are the Government aware that they have been responsible for more lawlessness and dishonesty than practically any other Government who have existed in this country?

Mr. John

The hon. Gentleman is, as usual, more certain about everything than any other Member of the House is about anything.

Mr. Ioan Evans

Will my hon. Friend consider the possible correlation between the increase in crime in the western world and the portrayal of crime on television? Is television having an impact, particularly on the younger generation, and will he consider making representations to the television authorities to keep crime off the programmes to a greater extent than at present?

Mr. John

We have in our possession and available to the public two reports which come to diametrically opposed conclusions about this. There is always a great danger in picking on a single cause as being the key to the crime wave. The more we stutdy crime and the more experience we have, the more we should know that there is no single factor which one can isolate against any other.