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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Figures reveal 7% fall in crime | Figures reveal 7% fall in crime |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The British Crime Survey and police-recorded figures show a 7% fall in crimes in 2009 compared to 2008. | The British Crime Survey and police-recorded figures show a 7% fall in crimes in 2009 compared to 2008. |
| All main categories of crime were down except sexual offences, which were up by 2%, according to the police figures. | All main categories of crime were down except sexual offences, which were up by 2%, according to the police figures. |
| The British Crime Survey found that muggings were down 21% over the year and burglary and vandalism also fell. | The British Crime Survey found that muggings were down 21% over the year and burglary and vandalism also fell. |
| The numbers show that violent crime technically rose by 1%, but officials who calculate the figures say that it was not statistically significant. | |
| The government uses two main measures of crime in England and Wales - actual offences recorded by the police and the BCS, which is a rolling survey of 45,000 people's experiences of crime, whether or not they reported the incident. | |
| According to the BCS figures for the calendar year to the end of 2009, burglary fell 12%, vandalism 12% and vehicle-related theft 11%. | According to the BCS figures for the calendar year to the end of 2009, burglary fell 12%, vandalism 12% and vehicle-related theft 11%. |
| Recorded crime by the police shows recorded violence fell by 3% and drugs offences were down 4%. | Recorded crime by the police shows recorded violence fell by 3% and drugs offences were down 4%. |
| Police forces also recorded an 11% drop in criminal damage and a 5% fall in muggings and robberies. | Police forces also recorded an 11% drop in criminal damage and a 5% fall in muggings and robberies. |
| Domestic burglary went down 3% and there was a 16% drop in offences against vehicles, which includes attempting to break into a car. | Domestic burglary went down 3% and there was a 16% drop in offences against vehicles, which includes attempting to break into a car. |
| Provisional figures included in the report show a 3% fall in gun-related crime recorded by the police in the year to December 2009. Firearms offences accounted for less than 1% of all crime. | |
| Overall, police recorded 4.4 million crimes, down from almost 4.8m a year before. | |
| Chief Constable Keith Bristow, the lead spokesman on crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the figures showed that police and local community safety partnerships were working. | Chief Constable Keith Bristow, the lead spokesman on crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the figures showed that police and local community safety partnerships were working. |
| "These overall results are positive and a strong indication of the dedication of our workforce to keep the public safe. | "These overall results are positive and a strong indication of the dedication of our workforce to keep the public safe. |
| "We continue also to work towards helping people feel safer and more confident in the neighbourhoods where they live, through a visible and responsive police service that tackles the challenges which matter to people." | "We continue also to work towards helping people feel safer and more confident in the neighbourhoods where they live, through a visible and responsive police service that tackles the challenges which matter to people." |
| Experts in sexual offences believe that recent rises may be down to more women being prepared to contact police after they have been attacked. | Experts in sexual offences believe that recent rises may be down to more women being prepared to contact police after they have been attacked. |
| Pereceptions | |
| The figures show that the risk of being a victim of crime remains historically low at 22%. The number of people who said the police were doing a good or excellent job rose from 53% to 56%. | |
| The figures also show that the number of people who believe they are suffering from a "high level" of anti-social behaviour has fallen from 17% to 15%, the lowest figure since the measure was introduced almost a decade ago. | |
| In effect, that meant that fewer people were complaining about abandoned cars, rowdiness or drunken behaviour in public places, drug dealing, gangs of teenagers, litter and vandalism. There was a slight rise in the number of people complaining about noisy neighbours. |