§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were recorded by Gwent Police in(a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001 as (i) violent crime, (ii) burglary, (iii) thefts of vehicles, (iv) thefts from vehicles, (v) drug offences and (vi) total crime; and what the percentage of each change was each year. [30154]
§ Mr. DenhamRecorded crime figures are published in financial years, with the most recent available figures being for the year ended March 2001. The information for the years from 1 April 1998 is given in the table.
The number of recorded crimes will be affected by changes in the public's willingness to report crime and police recording practices, as well as the real extent of crime. For example, the British Crime Survey has shown that, in England and Wales as a whole, victimisation for the violent crime in the survey which is comparable to recorded crime decreased by 19 percent. between the 1999 and 2000 calendar years, whereas comparable violent crime recorded by the police increased by 9 per cent.
291W
Recorded crimes for Gwent—number of offences and percentage change Percentage change 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 1998–99 to 1999–2000 1999–2000 to 2000–01 Violent crime 11,980 14,493 14,882 21 3 Burglary 8,416 7,656 6,905 -9 -10 Theft from vehicle 6,145 5,714 5,035 -7 -12 Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle 3,601 3,393 3,074 -6 -9 Drug offences 2,447 2,214 2,196 -10 -1 Total recorded crime 58,738 60,132 56,728 2 -6 Note:
Violent crime is comprised of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery