§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research and analysis his Department has commissioned into street violence against women. [108156]
§ Hilary BennPolice-recorded crime statistics cannot provide information on the proportion of all violent crimes that take place in the street; nor do they provide information on victim characteristics. However information on the location of violence is available from the British Crime Survey (BCS). This found that a quarter of (24 per cent.) all violent crimes took place in the street. The street was the second most common location for violent incidents. The most common location of violence was the home.
Violent crime measured by the BCS can be classified into four sub-groups: domestic, mugging, stranger and acquaintance violence. Women were the victims in 81 per cent. of domestic incidents, 33 per cent. of acquaintance violence incidents, 18 per cent. of incidents of stranger violence and 43 per cent. of muggings.
Source:
British Crime Survey 2001–02. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 7/02.
Half of muggings and a quarter of violence involving stranger and acquaintance took place in the street compared to just six per cent. of incidents that could be classified as domestic violence. Separate figures are not published for men and women.
Source:
British Crime Survey 2001–02. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 1/03.
363W
Table 1: Location of violent incidents, 2001–02 BCS interviews BCS Percentages All violence Domestic Mugging Stranger Acquaintance Around the home1 27 75 22 5 16 Around work2 8 3 1 8 16 Street3 24 6 49 25 25 Pub or club4 21 3 8 38 23 Transport5 4 6— 8 7 2 Other location 15 13 12 16 17 Unweighted 1440 252 235 511 442 1 Includes home premises, whether inside or outside or garage/shed, home car park or nearby street to home. 2 Includes work premises, whether inside or outside or work garage/car park. 3 Includes streets near to work/college/sports ground/public entertainment/train or tube stations/subways/park/open spaces/waste/street markets etc. 4 Includes pubs' and clubs' premises whether inside or in nearby streets or car parks. 5 Includes train/tube/bus stations, airports. In 2000 'transport' also included travelling in a car or taxi. 6 Indicates that there were no incidents in this category. Source:
2001–02 BCS interviews covering crime in the 12 months prior to interview. Excludes 'don't knows'.
In addition to the annual British Crime Survey, the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate commissions other research relevant to the study of street violence.
So far in 2003 the Home Office has published two relevant studies, although neither focus exclusively on women. Home Office Research Study 254 looks at the nature of personal robbery and examined over 2,000 robbery reports in seven police forces areas. Women made up 24 per cent. of robbery victims and six per cent. of offenders. Of those who were victims of robberies, women were more likely than men to be victims of `snatch robberies': Seven out of 10 robberies where the victim was a women involved property being snatched or grabbed from their person.
Secondly, Home Office Research Study 265 is an evaluation of the TASC project which aimed to reduce alcohol-related violence and disorder, much of which takes place on the streets. This found that 17 per cent. of victims of violence and 12 per cent. of those arrested were women. The report identifies a number of examples of good practice in tackling this form of crime and disorder.
Copies of the Research Development and Statistics Directorate's annual work programme since 1998–99 are in the House of Commons Library. A full list of Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate's publications is available from the website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds.