§ Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department the number of murders known to the police
(1) (2) (3) (4) Year Number of victims of murder Number of victims of coal gas poisoning included in col. (2) Number of victims of poison other than coal gas included in col. (2) 1946 144 18 5 1947 171 18 4 1948 162 21 7 1949 131 19 3 1950 138 11 3 1951 124 20 — 1952 141 29 4 1953 141 24 3 (including one case of phenobarbitone and coal gas) 1954 145 30 2 1955 133 27 4 (including one case of aspirin and coal gas) 1956 150 28 8 (including one case of sleeping tablets and coal gas) 1957 (Jan, to Sept.) 133 26 3 NOTES: (1) The figures, which relate to England and Wales only, show the number of victims of offences recorded by the police as murder, excluding those which to date have been found to be some other offence, except that for the period since 21st March, 1957, the figures include cases of manslaughter under Sections 2 and 4 of the Homicide Act, 1957, in order that they may be as nearly as possible comparable with the earlier period. (2) The figures for the current year are not exactly comparable with those for earlier years, because they necessarily contain a higher proportion of cases which have not been disposed of by the courts, some of which may be found not to be murders.