§ Baroness MACLEOD of BORVEasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people in England and Wales, and Scotland, have died as a result of violence against the person in each of the last 10 years.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Belstead)I have assumed that the noble Baroness is thinking in terms of personal violence rather than, for instance, of death by dangerous or reckless driving. Deaths due to personal violence would normally be recorded as offences of homicide. The numbers of victims of offences in England and Wales currently recorded as homicide is published in Table 9.1 of Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1978 (Cmnd. 7670) which shows the last 10 years for which figures are available; one offence is counted for each victim. The figures for Scotland of homicide offences, published in Table 3.1 of Criminal Statistics, Scotland 1978 (Cmnd. 7676), count one offence for each act involving homicide rather than for each victim; the available information relating to the number of victims is given in the following table.
130WAVictims of offences currently recorded as homicide
Scotland Murder Number of persons Culpable homicide 1969 28 … 1970 28 … 1971 44 … 1972 43 … 1973 39 … 1974 35 … 1975 43 … 1976 57 … 1977 62 … 1978 42 37 … Not available.