HC Deb 08 July 1976 vol 914 cc628-30W
Mr. Hayhoe

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each member State of the EEC: (a) the number of violent crimes per 100,000 population; and (b) the number of murders per 100,000 population for each year since 1960.

Mr. John

The available information is set out in the table below, which gives the numbers of murders and attempted murders per 100,000 population for most of the member States of the EEC, in the form collected and published by Interpol. Interpol stipulates the basis of the figures to be supplied to it aswilful murder or attempted murder or acts presumed to be such; all acts undertaken with the purpose of taking human life, no matter in what way and in whatever circumstances—but excluding 'involuntary manslaughter' and acts of abortion. The figures must be considered approximate and should be interpreted with caution. They do not form a basis for comparison between different countries, largely because of the differences in the way in which offences of homicide are defined among member States and by Interpol for the purposes of their statistical collection.

Information about the number of other violent crimes is not available.

"MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER ABOUT WHICH POICE WERE INFORMED": NUMBER PER 100,000 POPULATION EEC MEMBER STATES AS AT 1976
United Kingdom
Year Denmark France Federal Republic of Germany Republic of Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands England and Wales Scotland Northern Ireland
1961 … … … … 0.7 7.3 2.1 0.6 2.9 6.8 2.2 1.2 N.A. 1.1
1962 … … … … 1.3 5.7 2.3 0.6 2.6 3.1 2.5 1.2 1.2 0.6
1963 … … … … 1.5 3.1 2.4 0.3 2.7 3.4 2.5 1.2 1.3 0.1
1964 … … … … 0.9 2.8 2.7 0.6 2.6 1.5 2.9 1.3 1.4 0.2
1965 … … … … 1.4 2.6 2.7 0.4 2.7 6.5 3.1 1.3 1.9 0.3
1966 … … … … 0.8 2.6 3.1 0.6 2.6 8.6 3.0 1.5 2.2 0.8
1967 … … … … 1.3 2.8 3.3 0.6 2.8 8.9 3.8 1.6 2.3 1.0
1968 … … … … 1.2 3.2 3.2 0.6 2.7 7.1 3.5 1.7 2.6 0.6
1969 … … … … 1.3 3.1 3.4 0.6 2.5 5.9 4.0 1.7 3.0 0.9
1970 … … … … 0.9 3.3 4.0 0.8 2.2 11.2 4.1 1.7 3.4 2.1
1971 … … … … 1.7 3.3 4.1 N.A. 2.3 12.8 4.7 1.9 3.0 28.8
1972 … … … … 1.4 2.3 4.5 N.A. 3.1 16.8 5.5 2.0 3.4 104.6
1973 … … … … N.A. N.A. 4.4 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 2.1 3.8 73.2
1974 … … … … N.A. N.A. 4.5 N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A. 2.2 3.8 95.7
N.A.=Not available.

Figures for Belgium are not available.

Figures for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland, though on the basis requested by Interpol, are not taken from actual Interpol publications because the Interpol figures have been found to be incorrect.The England and Wales figures are those for murder, attempted murder, infanticide and manslaughter recorded as known to the police as at the end of the year concerned.

Figures for Scotland include culpable homicide while in charge of a motor vehicle.

Interpol do not publish separate figures for the number of violent crimes.