HL Deb 26 April 1989 vol 506 cc1359-60WA
Lord Windlesham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will update the statistics of recorded offences of personal violence in the format of Table 1 published as Appendix A to Home Office Research Study No. 89 (HMSO, 1986), and what is their interpretation of the comparative rates of increase in the total numbers of offences classified as "more serious" (headings

Recorded offences of personal violence
1974 1979 1983 1984 1987 1988
1.More serious "violence against the person" 6,038 5,943 6,675 7,152 11,019 12,772
2. Less serious "violence against the person" 57,743 89,017 104,667 107,035 130,024 145,476
3. Rape 1,052 1,170 1,334 1,433 2,471 2,855
4. Other sexual assaults (Buggery and indecent assault) 16,100 14,851 13,599 13,760 16,694 17,575
5. Armed robbery 650 1,038 1,957 2,098 2,831 31,437
6. Other robbery 8,016 11,444 20,162 22,792 29,802
Total of "more serious" personal violence (1,3,5) 7,740 8,151 9,966 10,683 16,321 ..
As % of all personal violence 8.7 6.6 6.7 6.9 8.5 ..
As % of all notifiable offences 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 ..
Total of "less serious" personal violence (2,4,6) 81,859 115,312 138,428 143,587 176,520 ..
Total of all personal violence 89,599 123,463 148,394 154,270 192,841 210,115
As % of all notifiable offences 4.6 5.2 4.8 4.7 5.2 5.9
Total of all notifiable offences (1) 1,963,360 2,376,666 3,070,973 3,313,805 3,716,186 3,550,179
(1) Excluding criminal damage value £20 and under.

Lord Windlesham

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will provide comparative annual statistics for the period 1974–88 indicating the overall clear-up rate for recorded offences of violence against the person, and what is their commentary on the figures.

Earl Ferrers

The information requested is published annually, appearing for the last 11 years in Table 2.17 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales". The latest issue, Cmnd. 498, gives figures for 1977 to 1987; corresponding information for 1974–76 and for 1988 is given in the table below.

Earl Ferrers

Staff for 1989/90 were made available nationally under the terms of the Framework Agreement before 1st April. Additional staff will be recruited annually until the end of the agreement period. The allocation to individual establishments is made on the basis of an assessment by management of their relative need. Kingston is up to complement with 62 officers in post (including principal and senior officers).

1, 3 and 5) and "less serious" (headings 2, 4 and 6) over the years 1974–88.

Earl Ferrers

The information requested is given in the table below. Between 1974 and 1987 (the latest year for which the figure for armed robberies is available) the percentage increases in the numbers of "more serious" and "less serious" offences of personal violence were similar; both more than doubled.

The clear-up rate for violence against the person declined gradually from about 80 per cent. in 1974–76 to about 75 per cent. in 1981–84; it fell further to 71 per cent. in 1986, but the rate recovered to 75 per cent. in 1987–88.

Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police and cleared up

England and Wales
Year Percentage cleared up
1974 80
1975 81
1976 79
1988 75