HC Deb 04 February 2004 vol 417 cc987-93W
Mr. Wiggin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many(a) recorded burglaries, (b) recorded thefts from or of a vehicle, (c) recorded violent crimes, (d) recorded crimes involving the use of firearms, (e) recorded drug offences and (f) crimes there were in Wales, broken down by (i) police force, (ii) constituency and (iii) local authority area for each year since 1997; [151734]

Table 1
Offence 1997 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
Crime recorded by the police in Wales1,2,5
All burglary 46,445 41,941 36,764 32,883 32,248 36,848
Theft of and from vehicles 59,785 56,161 51,864 43,652 42,662 48,879
Violent crime3 20,071 34,770 40,580 40,822 39,274 56,561
Firearms offences 594 591 712 614 6106 6161
Drug offences4 1,526 9,749 8,520 8,351 9,425 10,268
All crime 236,936 261,994 255,487 238,449 241,765 294,846

(2) if he will list the crime clear-up rate in Wales, broken down by (a) police force, (b) constituency and (c) local authority area for each year since 1997. [151736]

Ms Blears

The available information is given in the tables.

Recorded crime statistics are not broken down by constituency areas. However, they are available at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) level. CDRPs were set up under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, with data available from 1999–2000. CDRPs broadly equate to local authority areas and include representatives from police, health, probation and other local agencies and provide strategies for reducing crime in the area. Recorded crime figures are available at CDRP level for six key offences only: violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary in a dwelling, theft of a motor vehicle, and theft from a vehicle.

There was a change of counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which had the effect of increasing the number of crimes counted. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.

The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) was introduced across England and Wales in April 2002. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years. Total detection rates (percentages) in Wales, for 1997 to 2002–03, are given in the table.

Percentage
Force 1997 1998–991 1999–20002 2000–01 2001–023 2002–033
Dyfed Powys 61 69 65 63 64 68
Gwent 51 55 53 57 55 48
North Wales 34 43 36 31 28 29
South Wales 36 39 31 32 33 29
Wales total 41 46 40 41 39 36
1 Percentage detected using the expanded coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.
2 Revised Home Office instructions, which clarified the recording of detections, were introduced on 1 April 1999. These instructions provided more precise and rigorous criteria for securing a detection, with the underlying emphasis on the successful result of a police investigation. As a result of the revised detections guidance (in which some previous methods of detection were no longer counted), the numbers of crimes detected, and figures derived from them, will have been affected.
3 Detection figures may also have been affected by the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), with the exception of Gwent in 2001–02.

Overall detection rates are not available for CDRP areas.

Table 1
Offence 1997 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
Crime recorded by the police in Dyfed Powys1,2,5
All burglary 2,590 2,615 2,072 1,978 2,122 2,104
Theft of and from vehicles 2,372 2,480 2,203 2,120 2,052 2,028
Violent crime3 2,503 5,039 5,839 5,751 5,844 6,531
Firearms offences 61 60 45 68 626 617
Drug offences4 374 2,483 2,030 1,690 2,407 2,978
All crime 18,098 24,588 23,709 22,878 24,003 25,104
Crime recorded by the police in Gwent1,2,5
All burglary 9,154 8,416 7,656 6,905 6,172 7,586
Theft of and from vehicles 9,649 9,746 9,107 8,109 7,019 8,332
Violent crime3 6,139 11,980 14,493 14,682 9,837 15,835
Firearms offences 129 215 248 197 618 652
Drug offences4 389 2,447 2,214 2,196 1,729 1,585
All crime 47,268 58,738 60,132 56,728 46,938 61,237
Crime recorded by the police in North Wales1,2,5
All burglary 7,554 7,226 6,892 7,246 7,405 8,543
Theft of and from vehicles 7,911 7,254 7,501 7,186 7,710 8,096
Violent crime3 3,167 5,164 6,258 5,927 8,049 12,268
Firearms offences 109 94 104 74 66 618
Drug offences4 238 1,885 1,586 1,427 1,382 1,833
All crime 40,684 43,848 44,606 47,712 54,116 65,133
Crime recorded by the police in South Wales1,2,5
All burglary 27,147 23,684 20,144 16,754 16,549 18,615
Theft of and from vehicles 39,853 36,681 33,053 26,237 25,881 30,423
Violent crime3 8,262 12,587 13,990 14,262 15,544 21,927
Firearms offences 295 222 315 275 656 674
Drug offences4 525 2,934 2,690 3,038 3,907 3,872
All crime 130,886 134,820 127,040 111,131 116,708 143,372
1 Crimes were recorded on a calendar year basis until 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. These changes had the general effect of increasing the number of crimes counted. Therefore, numbers of recorded crimes for this year are not directly comparable with previous years.
3 Violent crime comprises offences of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.
4 Upto 1997, the only drug offence recorded was 'Trafficking in controlled drugs'. From 1998–99, the offences of 'Possession of controlled drugs' and 'Other drug offences', were added to the series.
5 Three of the Wales forces implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) prior to the official introduction on 1 April 2002; North Wales in October 2001, and both Dyfed Powys and South Wales in January 2002. Gwent introduced the Standard in April 2002. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police, with violent crime in particular being affected. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years.
6 The figures given for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are based on numbers of firearms offences recorded which exclude air weapons. The previous years figures include air weapons offences. Therefore, the figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 are not comparable with previous years figures.

Table 2: Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) in Wales from April 1999 to March 2003: numbers recorded for six key offences
Violence against the person Sexual offences
CDRP 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
Dyfed-Powys
Carmarthenshire 2,275 2,243 2,455 2,523 115 108 130 100
Ceredigion 783 719 723 938 45 56 29 58
Pembroke 1,201 1,245 1,162 1,340 69 87 79 51
Powys 1,260 1,217 1,177 1,416 63 53 54 65
Gwent
Blaenau Gwent 1,986 2,237 1,672 2,751 96 59 72 62
Caerphilly 4,779 4,959 2,680 4,494 142 153 121 152
Monmouthshire 1,749 1,593 982 1,455 54 64 45 58
Newport 3,459 3,217 2,482 4,248 142 105 117 147
Torfaen 1,801 2,192 1,369 2,072 69 59 82 67

Table 2: Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) in Wales from April 1999 to March 2003: numbers recorded for six key offences
Violence against the person Sexual offences
CDRP 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
North Wales
Conwy 954 806 1,072 1,872 52 43 59 98
Denbighshire 913 985 1,249 2,232 53 56 70 123
Flintshire 1,200 1,047 1,602 2,106 73 83 96 98
Gwynedd 781 784 1,223 1,738 63 59 65 94
Isle of Anglesey 562 505 656 1,085 46 28 70 41
Wrexham 1,329 1,231 1,541 2,439 86 133 104 101
South Wales
Bridgend 1,419 1,363 1,468 2,003 54 59 47 91
Cardiff 3,983 4,236 4,331 6,175 220 151 183 200
Merthyr Tydfil 593 676 768 1,106 23 27 30 34
Neath Port Talbot 1,199 1,201 1,373 2,082 38 44 37 75
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 1,822 1,992 2,192 3,542 89 80 99 165
Swansea 3,040 2,801 3,038 3,936 79 96 77 94
The Vale of Glamorgan 834 981 1,238 1,582 78 95 68 58

Robbery Burglary dwelling
CDRP 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
Dyfed-Powys
Carmarthenshire 17 8 11 14 282 284 322 266
Ceredigion 5 3 4 8 111 97 88 87
Pembroke 3 9 6 11 175 180 169 164
Powys 3 35 7 128 146 135 149
Gwent
Blaenau Gwent 15 14 18 10 524 420 283 372
Caerphilly 42 45 35 51 874 704 743 878
Monmouthshire 25 11 6 12 243 210 243 332
Newport 111 149 137 230 1,137 894 987 1,084
Torfaen 23 25 19 26 370 352 306 335
North Wales
Conwy 24 30 16 26 415 439 575 558
Denbighshire 30 32 42 66 464 462 462 672
Flintshire 44 38 47 41 352 423 453 620
Gwynedd 8 5 27 24 250 273 229 336
Isle of Anglesey 8 13 10 18 175 149 107 218
Wrexham 32 45 52 49 563 432 579 823
South Wales
Bridgend 18 20 41 28 662 485 500 659
Cardiff 262 198 318 421 2,821 2,197 2,209 2,792
Merthyr Tydfil 27 19 22 17 403 345 309 292
Neath Port Talbot 17 24 28 35 711 554 660 763
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 44 39 42 74 1,465 1,256 1,188 1,360
Swansea 100 118 108 153 1,517 1,296 1,483 1,552
The Vale of Glamorgan 51 42 36 56 804 552 496 642

Theft of a motor vehicle Theft from a vehicle
CDRP 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
Dyfed-Powys
Carmarthenshire 475 468 476 466 524 486 551 432
Ceredigion 82 75 72 59 134 102 150 103
Pembroke 134 133 119 143 308 312 264 315
Powys 177 185 174 165 369 359 244 345
Gwent
Blaenau Gwent 562 468 404 424 828 679 447 582
Caerphilly 1,191 907 783 894 1,551 1,257 1,185 1,400
Monmouthshire 306 255 242 262 747 588 472 629
Newport 958 1,060 849 1,008 1,787 1,801 1,699 1,781
Torfaen 376 384 332 458 801 710 606 894

Theft of a motor vehicle Theft from a vehicle
CDRP 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03
North Wales
Conwy 255 233 270 255 790 713 711 791
Denbighshire 414 341 345 411 701 975 1,026 1,058
Flintshire 521 474 433 509 997 1,112 1,154 1,206
Gwynedd 203 166 193 214 915 680 728 793
Isle of Anglesey 129 136 104 132 331 282 375 401
Wrexham 788 553 601 566 1,457 1,521 1,717 1,757
South Wales
Bridgend 1,471 1,047 925 890 1,404 927 1,029 1,264
Cardiff 4,123 2,807 3,111 3,180 6,697 5,159 5,319 7,818
Merthyr Tydfil 781 769 825 779 904 670 785 748
Neath Port Talbot 1,934 1,342 1,206 1,150 1,262 878 913 1,133
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 2,177 1,778 1,491 1,921 1,796 1,552 1,447 1,865
Swansea 4,300 3,548 3,347 3,243 3,549 3,747 3,587 4,433
The Vale of Glamorgan 1,064 728 652 681 1,591 1,285 1,244 1,318

Note:

Three of the Wales forces implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) prior to the official introduction on 1 April 2002; North Wales in October 2001, and both Dyfed Powys and South Wales in January 2002. Gwent introduced the Standard in April 2002. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police, with violent crime in particular being affected. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years.