Recession-Related Crime Surges In Regions

Tom Rayner, home affairs producer

Some areas of England and Wales are experiencing what appears to be a surge in recession-related crime.

There has been an increase in snatching bags and pickpocketing

Latest Home Office figures show a relatively small increase nationally in offences such as burglary and robbery - but the regional breakdowns show much higher rates.

Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Leicestershire have experienced at least a 10% increase in burglary.

Robberies in Sussex, Thames Valley, North Wales and Leicestershire have risen by at least 12%.

Nationally there was also a 25% increase in bag snatches and pickpocketing, as well as a 10% increase in shoplifting.

The overall number of crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in the financial year 2008/09 was down 5% to 4.7 million offences.

(Police Recorded Crime based on data given by police to the Home Office. British Crime Survey based on large survey of people across the country)

The number of people killed also saw a dramatic fall to a 20-year low.

There were 136 fewer homicides, including murder, manslaughter and child killings compared to a year earlier.

However, there was an increase in drug offences for the second year running.

In a Home Office briefing, statisticians said a 17% fall in the number of firearm offences may have contributed in part to the reduction in homicides.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "The latest crime statistics are encouraging.

"Since 1997, overall crime has fallen by 36% - a total of six million fewer crimes. Violence is down by 41% and domestic burglary down by 54%."

We know that during economic downturns certain crimes face upward pressure, which is why we've already taken action to tackle these head on.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson on the latest crime statistics

Referring to the increase in acquisitive crimes in some regions, Mr Johnson added: "We are not complacent.

"As in previous years, we see changing patterns of crime and we know that during economic downturns certain crimes face upward pressure, which is why we've already taken action to tackle these head on."

Figures relating to knife crime showed overall there were more than 38,000 recorded offences.

But this cannot be compared to the previous year as new categories involving a knife, such as rape and actual bodily harm, have been added to the latest statistics - prompting shadow home secretary Chris Grayling to accuse ministers of trying to "cover up" the scale of the problem.

However, like-for-like offences showed that there was an increase in attempted murders involving a knife from 245 to 271.