§ 23. Mr. Torneyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he proposes to increase the information available to his Department on the number and nature of victims of crime.
§ Mr. MellorWe have no current plans to increase the centrally collated information on victims beyond that supplied by the British crime survey, the regular collection of statistics on homicide and that available to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; information from all these sources is published. However, we do intend to publish an analysis of data available from the 18 police forces who record the fullest information; and information about victims is also collected in specific research studies when appropriate.
§ 32. Mr. Ashtonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the most recent period for which figures are available, what is the number of crimes committed each day in England and Wales.
§ 49. Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal offences were committed on an average day in 1985; and what was the number committed on an average day in 1979.
§ Mr. MellorThe information available relates to the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police and is published quarterly in Home Office statistical bulletins and annually in the Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". The average daily number of notifiable offences recorded by the police was 6,950 in 1979 and 9,830 in the period October 1984 to September 1985. Information for the whole of 1985 is not yet available.
§ 54. Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Essex as to the total number of crimes reported in Basildon in each of the last three years; and what was the detection rate in each of those years.
§ Mr. MellorThe information that is available is of notifiable offences recorded in Essex police force area, figures for which are published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables" (table s3.1 of volume 3 of the issue for 1984). The clear-up rate in the Essex police force area was 40 per cent. in 1982, 41 per cent. in 1983 and 40 per cent. in 1984.
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§ 63. Mr. Allan Rogersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the increase since 1979 in the number of victims of crime.
§ Mr. MellorThe information requested is not available. I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) on 23 January, at columns 257–58.
§ 66. Mr. James Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, in respect of the most recent period of 12 months for which figures are available, the percentage increase since the 12 months ended March 1979 in all offences, and offences of (a) violence against the person, (b) burglary, (c) theft, (d) fraud and forgery and (e) criminal damage, respectively.
§ Mr. MellorFigures for 1979 are not directly comparable with those for 1984–85 because of changes made by the new counting rules which were introduced at the beginning of 1980. The increase in the numbers of notifiable offences recorded between 1980 and the 12 months ending 30 September 1985 was 23 per cent. for violence against the person, 41 per cent. for burglary, 28 per cent. for theft and handling stolen goods, 28 per cent. for fraud and forgery and 46 per cent. for criminal damage. The numbers of such offences are published annually in the Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" and in quarterly Home Office statistical bulletins.
§ 68. Mr. Dixonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, for the most recent period of 12 months for which figures are available, the percentage increase in crimes of violence against the person compared with the 12 months ended in March 1979.
§ Mr. MellorI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) on 23 January, at column 433.