Crime is too high

Crime is high by international and historical standards.  The Government’s claims to have reduced crime are not borne out by reality.  Substantially increased spending on the police has not been matched by corresponding reductions in crime, indicating that productivity has fallen and the public have received poor value for money.  The fight against crime is a challenge for the whole criminal justice system and for society as a whole.  But effective policing has a vital role to play.

Crime today is almost ten times its level per 100,000 of the population than in 1950. People in England and Wales are the most likely to be victims of crime of any developed country, except only for Australia.  The UK is the most burgled country in the European Union, with the highest levels of assault crime.  [Read more]

The Government claims that crime measured by the British Crime Survey has fallen, yet the British Crime Survey massively underestimates crime.  It covers only half of recorded crime and ignores murder, rape, fraud, crimes against under-16s, commercial crime including shoplifting, and crime where there is no direct victim such as drugs dealing. Estimates suggest the true figure of crime in England and Wales is roughly three times the level indicated by the British Crime Survey.

Since 1997-98 total recorded crime has increased from 4.5 million to over 5.5 million crimes a year, an increase of approximately 22 per cent.  The Government claims that changes in the way crime is recorded have caused this, but steep increases in crimes such as robbery and violence against the person cannot be explained by changes in the counting rules.  [Read more]

Britain now spends more on law and order as a proportion of GDP than any other OECD country, nearly two-thirds of which goes to the police, costing each household in England and Wales £550 a year.

Despite this, less than a quarter of recorded crimes are detected and receive a sanction, meaning that over 4.3 million crimes are not brought to justice.  Increasing levels of funding have not led to corresponding increases in arrests and detections, nor, more importantly, to a corresponding fall in crime. On any available measure, police productivity has fallen, meaning that taxpayers have not received value for money.  [Read more]

The police cannot fight crime alone.  The courts, prison, and parole systems must all work effectively together with the police to tackle crime.  Action by wider society to tackle the causes of crime is also essential, but the role of the police is vital.  [Read more]