§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of murders made known to the police in 1977; and what were the comparable totals for each year since 1945.
§ Mr. JohnI refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave on 20th January to a Question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner)—Vol. 942, cols. 401–404]—when figures were given for the years 1967–1976 as at 1st June 1977. Comparable figures for 1977 are not yet available. Figures for the other years requested are not directly comparable with those for 1967 and later years as there was a change in recording procedure.
§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of reported murders and rapes, separately, for the metropolitan area and England and Wales in each year since 1964.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesIn a case of homicide, it is not possible in the absence of a court decision to distinguish between offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide. Offences of homicide and rape recorded in the Metropolitan Police District are published in the annual reports of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, and, for the period beginning 1st April 1974, in the annual publication "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". Since 1964 there have been some boundary changes in the Metropolitan Police District but they have not affected materially the comparability of these figures. Coresponding figures for England and Wales are published annually in166W "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". Available data for 1977 are given below.
OFFENCES OF HOMICIDE AND RAPE RECORDED BY THE POLICE, 1977 Number of offences Homicide Rape Metropolitan Police District 142 188 England and Wales 482 1,015