NCJ Number
216076
Date Published
2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report presents a summary of the main crime statistics for England and Wales during 2005-2006.
Abstract
During 2005-2006, the British Crime Survey (BCS) estimated there were 10.9 million crimes experienced by people aged 16 years or older in England and Wales, which are 8.4 million fewer crimes than was estimated in 1995, representing a 44 percent decline in crime during the 10-year period. In terms of violent crime, the BCS data indicate that violent crime has remained stable since 2004-2005 but significant declines in violent crime occurred during the mid-1990s. Police recorded 5.6 million crimes in 2005-2006, 73 percent of which were acquisitive in nature, such as burglary or theft. A geographical analysis of crime patterns indicates that crime is highly concentrated in particular areas. For example, most recorded burglaries and serious wounding occurred in a relatively small number of areas. Victimization risks are higher in larger cities. Nationally, the risk of becoming a crime victim is about 23 percent, with young men aged 16 to 24 years at the highest risk. Attitude measurements indicate that as crime has declined during the past 10 years, people have worried less about crime victimization. Approximately 17 percent of people think that anti-social behavior in their local area is a problem, with teenage loitering cited as the most common anti-social behavior. In England and Wales, crime is measured in two different ways: (1) through the British Crime Survey (BCS), a large survey that asks people about their perceptions of crime and their victimization experiences, and (2) through the police recorded crime (RC), which contains information about crimes reported to police. These two measures of crime provide information about property crimes, vehicle thefts, burglaries, and violent crimes. Figures