HL Deb 02 May 1991 vol 528 c33WA
Lord Peston

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What were the conclusions of the recent Home Office research into trends in crime.

Earl Ferrers

In Home Office Research Study 119(Trends in Crime and their Interpretation: a study of recorded crime in post-war England and Wales) Dr. Simon Field, a Home Office researcher, examined trends in crime and a number of factors which might be associated with them. His main finding was that property crime tends to increase faster when personal consumption falls, while increases in offences involving violence slow down. The study offers an explanation for short-term fluctuations in crime figures rather than for the underlying trend.

I apologise that the information about this which I gave to the noble Lord in reply to a Parliamentary Question on Friday 19th April was incorrect.