§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences recorded by the police resulted in no further action being taken in each year since 1997. [138499]
§ Ms BlearsThe percentage rates of offences detected and described as 'No further action', are available from 1997 to 2002–03, and are given in the table.
834W
Detection rates as a percentage of recorded offences, for England and Wales
Percentage of all offences detected with 'No further action'
taking place:
Year Percentage of offences
detected (All
methods)
Interview of convicted
prisoner:
(Percentage)
Other (Percentage)
19971 28 4 4 1997–982 28 4 4 1998–993 29 2 5 1999–20005 25 5— 44 2000–01 24 5— 44 2001–026 23 5— 4 2002–036 24 5— 4 1 Crime-related statistics were published on a calendar year basis until 1997, and on a financial year basis thereafter. 2 Excluding offences of 'other criminal damage' of value £20 and under prior to March 1998. 3 Percentage detected using the figures derived from the expanded coverage and revised counting rules for recorded crime which came into effect on 1 April 1998, and hence may not be comparable with previous years. 4 Estimates based on returns from 42 (of the 43) police forces. 5 Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999, and hence detection rates are not comparable with previous years. 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. Therefore detections obtained by the interview of a convicted prisoner were no longer collected.
6 The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was implemented by some police forces in advance of it's national implementation on 1 April 2002, and as a result of this, figures are not directly comparable with previous years