Burglaries up 14%, crime survey shows
Burglaries and violent crime in England and Wales rose markedly over the last year while overall crime levels remained stable, according to annual figures.
Burglaries went up by 14 percent in 2010/11, the British Crime Survey (BCS) showed, with around one in 40 households saying they were victims of burglary or attempted burglaries.This is in stark contrast with the previous year, when burglaries fell by nine percent.
The BCS figures, published on Thursday, also showed a 6 percent increase in violent crime, fueled by sharp rises in domestic violence and assaults with minor injuries.
While overall crime levels only edged up marginally, experts believe the declines in crime seen since the mid-90s are easing.
Overall there were an estimated 9.6 million crimes in 2010/11, compared with 9.5 million the previous year, according to the BCS statistics.
The figures, seen as the most reliable indicator of crime trends, are based on interviews with tens of thousands of people in more than 45,000 households.Separate figures however showed a 4 percent fall in the number of crimes recorded by police, from 4.3 million in 2009/10 to to 4.2 million in 2010/11.The number of burglaries recorded also fell 4 percent, while there was a 10 percent increase in reported thefts of unattended mobiles, wallets and purses from pubs, homes and gardens.
Chief Constable Jon Murphy , head of crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said: "The official crime statistics show that the risk of being a victim of crime remains historically low. It does however warn that the drops in crime recorded since the mid 1990s may begin to ease."Of particular interest is the area of burglary and some other thefts, and we will be looking closely at both bulletins to see whether there are emerging patterns of criminality in those areas."
The figures come as police forces up and down the country face cuts to their budgets under government austerity measures.
The coalition is planning to cut its £11 billion funding for the police in England and Wales by 20 percent by 2014-15.
Earlier this month Acpo president Sir Hugh Orde said the cuts and reforms risked "compromising the safety of citizens for reasons of expediency",Crime and Security minister James Brokenshire defended planned reforms on Thursday, saying they were "urgently needed"."Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home and local community," he said."We want to make the police more accountable to the public they serve and ensure that local policing priorities are focused on what local people want, not on what central government thinks they want."Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the figures showed some "very worrying signs"."Now is not the time for the government to take risks with community safety by cutting over 12,000 police officers," she added. "People want crime to fall further and the government is doing nothing to help."
