§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will call for reports from each chief constable as to the number of children who were: (a) murdered and (b) abducted and (c) sexually assaulted in 1984 and to date in 1985; how these figures compare with the previous five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles Shaw[pursuant to his reply, 15 April, c. 14]: The Government view such crimes against children with the utmost concern. Chief officers fully share this view and respond to these offences accordingly. Much relevant information is already reported regularly and my right hon. and learned Friend sees no need to call for special reports at this stage. The age and sex of victims of homicide is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"—table 4.6 of the latest issue for 1983, Cmnd. 9349; corresponding statistics for 1984 will become available later this year. The number of recorded offences of child stealing—which includes offences under the Child Abduction Act 1984, kidnapping, abduction of persons of all ages and of all sexual offences including some specifically involving juveniles — is published annually in chapter 2 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". The latest figures for 1984 were published in "Home Office Statistical Bulletin" issue 6/85, on 12 March 1985. The numbers of persons found guilty or 313W cautioned up to 1983 for certain offences in which the victim was, or may have been, a juvenile are given in table 1; corresponding figures a for 1984 will become available later this year. Some information about the number of young people recorded as missing each year is available
Table 1 Offenders found guilty or cautioned for certain offences England and Wales Number of offenders offices 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 Child stealing 18 12 11 11 20 Kidnaapping 29 45 45 45 40 Abduction: 33 29 29 25 27 of which abduction of unmarried girl under 16 22 13 15 17 14 Buggery: 248 299 280 248 254 of which i) with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman or an animal 142 164 164 136 165 ii) attempt to commit buggery with a boy under the age of 16 or with a woman oran animal 22 15 10 9 14 Indecent assault on a male: 749 814 736 725 789 of which indecent assault on male person under 16 years 634 685 616 600 654 Rape 392 457 326 412 330 Indecent assault on a female: 3,470 3,490 3,258 3,391 3,235 of which on female under 16 years of age 2,516 2,572 2,369 2,417 2,333 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 13 128 156 111 141 149 Unlawful sexual intercourse with girl under 16 2,111 1,906 1,689 1,559 1,673 Incest: 177 171 143 133 152 of witch i) insert with a girl under 13 56 54 38 47 46 ii) inciting girl under 16 to have inscestuous sexual intercourse 11 8 12 7 9 Gross indecency with a child 270 280 247 247 255
Table 2 Persons aged less than 18 recorded as missing by the Missing Persons Bureau of the Metropolitan Police* Number of personst† Year Recorded as missing‡ Traced or identified‖ 1979 3,600 3,200 1980 3,900 3,300 1981 3,200 2,800 1982 4,300 3,500 1983 3,900 3,300 1984 4,100 3,700 * Includes some cases reported by police forces other than the Metropolitan Police. † The same persons may be reported missing more than once. ‡ Includes some persons first reported missing in previous years. ‖ Includes persons traced who were first reported missing in previous years.