§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of domestic assault have been reported to Merseyside police authority in each year since 1996; how many and what percentage of such cases were withdrawn by(a) the police complainant and (b) the victim complainant before the case was referred to the CPS; how many cases were pursued by the CPS after the victim complainant had withdrawn the complaint; and how many cases were accepted by the CPS where the only complainant was the police complainant.[92174]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 29 January 2003]Domestic violence is not identified separately in recorded crime figures: crimes involving domestic violence are recorded in a range of offences, along with offences committed in other circumstances.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) produced data by region for 2001–02. For that year it estimated that there were 97 incidents of domestic violence per 10,000 adults in the north west region, compared with 149 incidents per 10,000 adults in England and Wales as a whole; and that 35 per cent. of domestic violence incidents were reported to the police. The BCS does not provide information on domestic violence for individual police force areas.
The 1996 BCS included a self-completion component on domestic violence to encourage disclosure. Results were published in Home Office Research Study No. 191, copies of which were deposited in the Library.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) case records begin when the police refer a file to the CPS, either for pre-charge advice or for prosecution. CPS records do not, 1031W therefore, show how many cases of domestic assault have been reported to the police, or how many were disposed of before referral to the prosecution.
The CPS does hold records of case outcomes, but at present these are held in aggregate form, and cannot be provided for particular offences or groups of offences.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were reported and how many lives domestic violence claimed in(a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. [86455]
§ Mr. DenhamRecorded crime figures are generally collected by legal definitions. Recorded crimes involving domestic violence will be recorded in a range of offences, along with offences which have been committed in other circumstances. Numbers of offences involving domestic violence are therefore not available from recorded crime data.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) produced data by region for 2001–02, on the number of crimes of domestic violence recorded by the survey. However, it does not provide information on domestic violence at a local level nor for individual police force areas.
The BCS estimates that there were 92 crimes of domestic violence per 10.000 adults in the north-east region for interviews conducted in the 2001–02 financial year. This compares with 149 incidents per 10,000 adults in England and Wales as a whole.
The BCS can also provide trend information on the number of incidents of domestic violence for England and Wales.
Number of BCS incidents of domestic violence, 1997 to 2001–02, BCS interviews, England and Wales (thousands) Domestic Violence 1997 826 1999 787 2000 514 2001–02 635 The BCS figures are estimates only. They are derived from a sample and so are subject to sampling error. Also, the context of the face-to-face BCS interview means the estimates are certain to be underestimates of the true extent because some respondents may be unwilling to reveal experience of domestic violence to interviewers. Results from the 1996 BCS self-completion module on domestic violence were published in Home Office Research Study No. 191, deposited in the Library. This more confidential approach to measurement revealed that the proportion of women that were victims in the last year of domestic assault was over three times higher than in the main BCS.
Details of homicides by constituency and for the United Kingdom are not held centrally. The available information relates to currently recorded offences of homicide (murder, manslaughter and infanticide) where the relationship of the victim to the suspect includes current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover. Information for England and Wales is as follows.
1032W
Number of homicides by current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover, England and Wales Number Number of homicides by current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover, England and Wales Number 1997–98 131 1998–99 104 1999–2000 112 2000–01 127 2001–02 148 Note:
As at 8 October 2002, figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.