§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what review has been undertaken into developments in the level of the threat of grievous bodily harm, rape, robbery or murder facing elderly people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackStatistics of crime recorded by the police can provide national trends in crime risks by age only for murder. The rate of murder against those aged 70 or more has declined since 1980 in England and Wales, and that for those between 50 and 69 years is relatively stable; the numbers involved are small.
The British crime survey can provide information on trends in violence against the elderly between 1981 and 1991. The proportion of those aged 60 or over who were 520W victims of robbery, wounding, common assault or any sexual offence showed no change over the period: about one in 200 of those aged 60 or more were a target in 1991. Trends in all these statistics are continually monitored.