§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the levels of crime in each category in the Avon and Somerset Police Authority between 2000–01 and 2001–02. [69207]
§ Mr. John Denham[holding answer 16 July 2002]: As the requested data relates to a police single police force area, details from the British Crime Survey, which
1458W
Crimes Recorded by the Police Avon and Somerset Offence April 2000 to March 01 April 01 To March 02 Change Percentage Change Violence against the person 2,310 15 15,376 17,686 Sexual offences 930 165 18 1,095 Robbery 2,124 77 2,765 4,889 Total violent crime 4,599 24 19,071 23,670 Burglary 7,060 27 25,805 32,865 Theft and handling 12,874 19 69,605 82,479 Fraud and forgery 883 10 9,211 10,094 Criminal damage 4,511 20 22,479 26,990 Drug offences -130 -7 1,990 1,860 Other offences -60 -5 1,093 1,033 estimates people's actual experience of crime, are not available.
Percentage changes between 2000–01 and 2001–02 for the numbers of offences in the major categories of recorded crimes by police force area have been published in Table 7.03 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Crime in England and Wales 2001–2002", which is available in the Library. The overall figures for Avon and Somerset are as follows:
1459WSome police forces, such as Avon and Somerset, adopted the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of the national implementation in April 2002. Changes in crime statistics in these forces will be strongly influenced by the changes in recording practice, and the impact will vary for different types of offences. Details of the impact of the recording changes are included in chapter three of the above bulletin.