§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the crime trends on Merseyside since 1995; which criminal activity has declined most in Merseyside since 1995; and what estimate he has made of the reasons for that decline; [116472]
(2) what the total number of crimes recorded per head of population was in Merseyside in each year since 2000. [116474]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthInformation on the total number of recorded crimes per 100,000 of the population is given in the table.
Number of recorded crimes per 100,000 population: Merseyside Number of offences 1999–2000 10,513 2001–01 10,174
Recorded crimes by offence group—Merseyside1 1995 1996 1997 Offence group Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Violence against the person 8,098 5.6 8,236 5.8 8,083 5.7 Sexual Offences 937 0.7 891 0.6 906 0.6 Robbery 2,768 1.9 2,985 2.1 2,141 1.5 Burglary 34,497 24.0 29,437 20.6 26,266 18.5 Theft and Handling 74,797 52.1 71,393 50.0 58,520 41.2 Fraud and Forgery 4,259 3.0 4,288 3.0 4,269 3.0 Criminal Damage 25,855 18.0 26,907 18.9 23,677 16.7 Drug Offences3 — — — — — — Other Offences 2,174 1.5 1,819 1.3 2,117 1.5 Total 153,385 106.9 145,956 102.3 125,979 88.7 944W
1998–992 2000–01 2001–02 Offence group Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Offences recorded Offences per 1,000 population Violence against the person 12,208 8.6 14,639 10.4 15,855 11.3 16,030 11.4 Sexual Offences 1,019 0.7 935 0.7 982 0.7 1,018 0.7 Robbery 2,484 1.8 2,663 1.9 2,405 1.7 3,155 2.3 Burglary 26,498 18.8 25,638 18.2 23,938 17.1 25,478 18.2 Theft and Handling 59,044 41.8 62,230 44.2 57,844 41.2 59,698 42.5 Fraud and Forgery 4,884 3.5 4,794 3.4 5,021 3.6 5,380 3.8 Criminal Damage 27,465 19.4 30,822 21.9 30,593 21.8 33,899 24.2 Drug Offences3 5,620 4.0 4,838 3.4 4,421 3.2 4,390 3.1 Other Offences 1,652 1.2 1,613 1.1 1,748 1.3 1,886 1.3 Total 140,874 99.7 148,172 105.1 142,807 101.7 150,934 107.6 1 Crime statistics were collected on a calendar year basis up to 1997, and on a financial year basis thereafter. 2 The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date, and figures calculated from them, may therefore not be directly comparable. 3 Prior to April 1998, the only drug offences recorded were 'Trafficking in controlled drugs', which were recorded within the Other Offences Group. After this date, the Home Office Counting Rules were revised and expanded to include the further drug offences of 'Possession of controlled drugs' and 'Other drug offences'.
Number of recorded cirmes per 100,000 population: Merseyside Number of offences 2001–02 10,755 1 Numbers will be affected by the size of the resident population relative to the transient or visiting populations and may therefore over-represent the number of crimes relative to the real population of potential victims. There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which had a tendency to increase the number of offences counted. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date, and figures calculated from them, willtherefore not be directly comparable.
The table contains recorded crime figures for the number of offences recorded and the number of offences per 1,000 population for the nine main offence groups. Despite the change in counting rules the figures show that the offence group with the biggest decline in the number of offences recorded per 1,000 population from 1995 to 2001–02 is Theft and Handling. This group includes vehicle crime offences. The offence group with the largest percentage decrease is burglary.