Violent crime rises despite lower total of offences

Sharp increases in the number of violent, sexual and drug offences last year overshadowed the Government's claims yesterday that the overall crime rate had fallen.

A total of 5,899,450 offences were recorded in England and Wales in 2002-03, a rise of 7 per cent, Home Office figures released yesterday showed.

The Home Office insisted the figures had been affected by changes in how offences were recorded - and the true picture was of a 3 per cent drop. There remains an upward trend for the most serious offences.

There was a 27 per cent rise in female rape, from 8,990 to 11,441 cases, and an 18 per cent increase, from 32,385 to 38,291, in the most serious cases of violence. Drug offences also leapt by 16 per cent, from 121,377 to 141,116.

The homicide rate rose to a historic high of 1,048, although the Home Office said it had been artificially boosted by the inclusion of 172 victims of Harold Shipman, the Manchester serial killer GP, in this year's figures.

The overall 22 per cent rise in recorded violent crime, which the Home Office adjusted to 2 per cent, also included large increases in child abduction, attacks on police officers and possession of weapons.

Professor Paul Wiles, a Home Office crime statistician, said: "There does seem to be a trend in increase in stranger violence - that's something we will want to look at."

But he argued the apparent surge in violence was largely attributable to a new system that required police to record all incidents, rather than use their discretion over minor scuffles.

The Home Office also published the annual British Crime Survey (BCS), based on interviews with 40,000 adults, which suggested crime dropped by 2 per cent and the risk of being a victim was falling. The BCS found 38 per cent of people believed the crime rate in the previous two years had risen a lot, and 35 per cent said it had increased a little.

And in a worrying finding for the Government, which is expected to call a general election in 2005, the survey found confidence in the criminal justice system slipped by 3 per cent.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said he was "encouraged" by the statistics. "Overall crime is continuing to fall and the risk of being a victim remains at its lowest level for more than 20 years," he said. "I am particularly pleased we have reduced robbery while keeping vehicle crime and burglaries at historic lows."

Oliver Letwin, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "The rise in violent crime is extremely worrying and shows yet again the Government is making no headway in tackling disorder. Sadly the figures will come as no surprise to the millions of people up and down the country who suffer daily from crime or the fear of crime."

Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: "I am sure yet again the Government will try to deceive the public and blame the rise in crime on new crime reporting procedures. What cannot be dismissed is a country living in the fear of crime and crime at an unprecedented level."

Ruth Hall, a spokeswoman for Women Against Rape, said rape complaints had risen 82 per cent since Labour came to power in 1997. She said: "It is impossible to know what has caused last year's steep rise. But we would not say it was down to increased confidence in the police."

Paul Cavadino, chief executive of crime reduction charity Nacro, said: "The reality is crime rates have now stabilised after the significant falls of recent years."