§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the recorded crime rate in Kent was in each year since 1997, broken down by major category of crime. [105192]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe requested information is in the table.
There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime in 1 April 1998, which would have the tendency to increase the number of crimes counted. Crime rates before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.
The Kent County Constabulary adopted the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard on 1 April 2000, in advance of its national implementation on 1 April 2002. This may have inflated its recorded crime figures, and so crime rates before and after this date may not be directly comparable.
585W
Number of offences recorded by Kent police per 100,000 population 19971 1998–992 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 Burglary 1,653 1,467 1,253 1,209 1,093 Theft and handling stolen goods 3,827 3,660 3,323 3,367 3,067 Fraud and forgery 188 363 469 502 371 Criminal damage 1,544 1,472 1,575 1,761 1,796 Drug offences3 — 248 231 185 191 Other offences 110 152 149 114 106 1 Recorded on a calendar year basis up to 1997, and years ending March 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. 3 Prior to 1998–99, the only drug-related offence recorded was "Trafficking in controlled drugs". This was recorded within the "Other offences" offence group.