§ Jon TrickettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries were(a) reported and (b) solved in West Yorkshire in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2002. [96621]
§ Mr. DenhamNumbers of burglary offences recorded and associated detection rates in West Yorkshire are given in the table.
Year Offences recorded Detection rate—percentage 19971 67,686 28 2001–022 68,818 12 1 Recorded on a calender year basis 2 Recorded on a financial year basis There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which would have the tendency to increase the number of offences counted. Numbers of offences before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.
There was also a change in counting rules for detections on 1 April 1999. The new instructions provide more precise and rigorous criteria for recording a detection, with the underlying emphasis on the successful result of a police investigation. Numbers of detections before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.