§ Sir Richard Glynasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he
TABLE 6 MURDERS KNOWN TO THE POLICE TOGETHER WITH OFFENCES REDUCED TO MANSLAUGHTER BY REASON OF DIMINISHED RESPONSIBILITY Estimated Number of "capital" and "non-capital" offences "Capital" "Non-Capital" Total Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. 1952 … … 17 12.1 124 87.9 141 100.0 1953 … … 17 12.1 123 87.9 140 100.0 1954 … … 22 15.2 123 84.8 145 100.0 1955 … … 15 11.3 118 88.7 133 100.0 1956 … … 30 20.0 120 80.0 150 100.0 1957 … … 22 12.8 150 87.2 172 100.0 1958 … … 19 12.5 133 87.5 152 100.0 1959 … … 23 14.3 138 85.7 161 100.0 1960 … … 31 18.7 135 81.3 166 100.0 1961 … … 20 12.6 139 87.4 159 100.0 1962 … … 28 15.2 156 84.8 184 100.0 1963 … … 22 11.6 167 88.4 189 100.0 1964 … … 26 13.8 162 86.2 188 100.0 1965 … … 38 18.9 163 81.1 201 100.0 1966 … … 41 20.12 162 79.8 203 100.0 1967 … … 54 24.10 171 76.0 225 100.0 Before Homicide Act (1.1.52 to 20.3.57): Annual Average … … 20 14.2 121 85.8 141 100.0 After Homicide Act (21.3.57 to 31.12.67): Annual Average … … 30 16.2 153 83.8 183 100.0 I hope that the 1968 figures will be available in May.
The division between "capital" and "non-capital" offences is hypothetical wherever the case did not come to trial, and is so in every case since 9th November, 1965, when the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act, 1965, came into force.