HC Deb 18 November 2003 vol 413 cc833-4W
Mr. Oaten

To 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 Blears

The percentage rates of offences detected and described as 'No further action', are available from 1997 to 2002–03, and are given in the table.

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

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