§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Prime Minister (1) what has been the rate of indictable offences per 1,000 population per annum in each of the last five years (a) in Great Britain and (b) in Northern Ireland; to what the difference is attributed; and if she will make a statement;
(2) what has been the rate of car thefts per 1,000 vehicles per annum in each of the last five years (a) in Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland; to what the difference is attributed; and if she will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterComparisons of recorded crime in different parts of the United Kingdom can only be approximate because of differences in law and recording practice. Such figures as are available are given in the following table. It is not possible to attribute differences in recorded crime between Great Britain and Northern Ireland to any single cause. In Scotland the classification and recording practices are appreciably different, and few valid comparisons can be made.
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Offences recorded by the police Offences recorded per 1,000 population Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicles per 1,000 population England and Wales* Scotland† Northern Ireland‡ Great Britain Northern Ireland 1980 54.6 70.7 37.5 18.6 11.4 1981 59.7 78.8 41.4 18.9 11.7 1982 65.8 84.2 41.7 19.4 11.3 1983 65.5 87.0 41.0 17.6 13.6 1984 70.5 92.2 42.8 18.2 12.6 1985 72.6 89.9 18.8 * Notifiable offences including all offences of criminal damage. † The offences covered for Scotland are those called crimes. ‡ Indictable crimes, excluding offences of criminal damage of value less than £200.