HC Deb 14 January 2002 vol 378 c98W
Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were prosecuted for criminal damage in the UK in 2001–01; and what proportion of these relate to acts of vandalism; [23415]

(2) how many people were prosecuted for committing acts of graffiti in 2000–01; [23555]

(3) what proportion of people convicted for (a) acts of vandalism or (b) graffiti in 2000–01 received conditional discharges. [23414]

Mr. Denham

The information held centrally on the Home Office's Court Proceedings Database giving the number of people prosecuted for all criminal damage offences, the number convicted and the proportion convicted given a conditional discharge in England and Wales during 2000 is given in the table. Data for 2001 are not yet available.

The statistics collected centrally do not include the circumstances of the offence so that offences of vandalism, or offences of committing acts of graffiti, cannot be distinguished from other offences of criminal damage.

Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.

Number of persons proceeded against in the magistrates court, convicted at all courts and sentenced to a conditional discharge at all courts, for criminal damage1 offences, England and Wales, 20002
Number
Total proceeded against 57,833
Total convicted 38,226
Total sentenced 38,067
of which:
Total sentenced to a conditional discharge 12,585
1 Includes both indictable and summary offences of criminal damage, including arson, criminal damage endangering life and threat etc. to commit criminal damage.
2 Estimates made for Staffordshire police force, who were only able to submit 2000 data for a sample of weeks, have been included in the totals shown in this table.

Note:

All data are given on a principal offence basis.