Latest news with #CrimeSurveyforEnglandandWales
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Nigel Farage and ‘lawless Britain': dangerous hyperbole has real-life consequences
During last year's general election campaign, Reform UK settled on 'Britain is broken' as a slogan. This summer, intending to dominate the news agenda during the long Westminster recess, Nigel Farage has decided to ramp up the dystopian rhetoric. 'Broken' has morphed into 'lawless', as Mr Farage tours the country deploying language reminiscent of the 'American carnage' speech delivered by Donald Trump at his first inauguration in 2017. Unfounded claims of a huge rise in crime have been breezily tossed out to bolster the assertion that Britain is 'facing nothing short of societal collapse'. The crisis of lawlessness on the streets, wrote Mr Farage in a recent article for the Daily Mail, was being compounded by the government-sponsored arrival of 'droves of unvetted men into our towns and cities'. Commenting on recent protests outside an Epping hotel accommodating asylum seekers, after a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a local teenage girl, he remarked that the country was close to 'civil disobedience on a vast scale'. According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales – which Mr Farage chooses to ignore but which is the most robust source of relevant evidence – incidents of theft, criminal damage and violence have been in long‑term decline since the 1990s. But Reform's leader is more interested in sinister mood music than data, as he seeks to foment a feelbad factor. His aim is to portray a country in which disinterested elites preside over a law and order crisis intimately connected to immigration, and where there is a yearning for an authoritarian response along the lines suggested by Mr Farage. Reform's pledge to repeal the Online Safety Act, made on Monday at a 'Britain is lawless' press conference, underlined its willingness to risk the further pollution of public discourse by disinformation and hate speech. As the chief constable of Essex reminded Mr Farage last week, after he falsely alleged that police had driven counter-protesters to the site of the Epping hotel, inflammatory talk has real‑life consequences. In an echo of last summer's riots after the appalling murder of three young girls in Southport, asylum seekers have reported being chased and attacked in the town. Having in many cases fled violent and unstable situations elsewhere, they now fear for their safety again. In Essex, and elsewhere in the country, far-right groups are seeking to create the conditions for another conflagration. These are worrying developments. But Britain's social fabric is not unravelling and the country is not on the verge of widespread civil conflict. A year ago, the vast majority of citizens backed a hardline response to the scenes of disorder that took place. Nevertheless, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, was right to argue last week that much more needs to be done to enhance social cohesion in places buffeted by change and starved of resources. The problem with Mr Farage is that his hyperbolic claims are designed to heighten and sharpen tensions rather than truly address them. For a party that aspires to govern and claims to be in the mainstream, fuelling a sense of insecurity and anger in this way is deeply irresponsible. Britain is still a long way from being Mr Trump's America, and Reform's cynical opportunism may fail to yield the political dividends hoped for. But we have been served with another reminder of the darkness at the heart of Mr Farage's politics. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Nigel Farage and ‘lawless Britain': dangerous hyperbole has real-life consequences
During last year's general election campaign, Reform UK settled on 'Britain is broken' as a slogan. This summer, intending to dominate the news agenda during the long Westminster recess, Nigel Farage has decided to ramp up the dystopian rhetoric. 'Broken' has morphed into 'lawless', as Mr Farage tours the country deploying language reminiscent of the 'American carnage' speech delivered by Donald Trump at his first inauguration in 2017. Unfounded claims of a huge rise in crime have been breezily tossed out to bolster the assertion that Britain is 'facing nothing short of societal collapse'. The crisis of lawlessness on the streets, wrote Mr Farage in a recent article for the Daily Mail, was being compounded by the government-sponsored arrival of 'droves of unvetted men into our towns and cities'. Commenting on recent protests outside an Epping hotel accommodating asylum seekers, after a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a local teenage girl, he remarked that the country was close to 'civil disobedience on a vast scale'. According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales – which Mr Farage chooses to ignore but which is the most robust source of relevant evidence – incidents of theft, criminal damage and violence have been in long‑term decline since the 1990s. But Reform's leader is more interested in sinister mood music than data, as he seeks to foment a feelbad factor. His aim is to portray a country in which disinterested elites preside over a law and order crisis intimately connected to immigration, and where there is a yearning for an authoritarian response along the lines suggested by Mr Farage. Reform's pledge to repeal the Online Safety Act, made on Monday at a 'Britain is lawless' press conference, underlined its willingness to risk the further pollution of public discourse by disinformation and hate speech. As the chief constable of Essex reminded Mr Farage last week, after he falsely alleged that police had driven counter-protesters to the site of the Epping hotel, inflammatory talk has real‑life consequences. In an echo of last summer's riots after the appalling murder of three young girls in Southport, asylum seekers have reported being chased and attacked in the town. Having in many cases fled violent and unstable situations elsewhere, they now fear for their safety again. In Essex, and elsewhere in the country, far-right groups are seeking to create the conditions for another conflagration. These are worrying developments. But Britain's social fabric is not unravelling and the country is not on the verge of widespread civil conflict. A year ago, the vast majority of citizens backed a hardline response to the scenes of disorder that took place. Nevertheless, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, was right to argue last week that much more needs to be done to enhance social cohesion in places buffeted by change and starved of resources. The problem with Mr Farage is that his hyperbolic claims are designed to heighten and sharpen tensions rather than truly address them. For a party that aspires to govern and claims to be in the mainstream, fuelling a sense of insecurity and anger in this way is deeply irresponsible. Britain is still a long way from being Mr Trump's America, and Reform's cynical opportunism may fail to yield the political dividends hoped for. But we have been served with another reminder of the darkness at the heart of Mr Farage's politics.
North Wales Chronicle
5 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
About one in 10 people victims of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault
The figure is closer to one in eight for women, while for men it is slightly lower at about one in 12. It is the first time an estimate has been made of the combined prevalence of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking. The figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using data collected as part of the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Women's Aid head of research and evaluation Sarah Davidge said this is a 'poignant year' for data relating to violence against women and girls and publishing the figures is a step towards a better overview of such crimes. The survey measures experiences of crime, with domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking referred to as 'crime types' because in some cases a criminal offence may not have occurred. Some 10.6% of all people aged 16 and over are likely to have experienced one or more of these crime types in the year to March 2025, with 12.8% for women and 8.4% for men. The figures equate to an estimated 5.1 million people aged 16 and over in England and Wales, of which 3.2 million are women and nearly 2.0 million are men, the ONS said. For the first time, we have produced a new estimate combining the prevalence measures of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 24, 2025 A slightly higher estimate of 5.4 million people or 11.3% has been made for the previous 12 months – the year to March 2024 – which equates to 3.4 million women (14.0%) and 2.0 million men (8.6%). The ONS said that because these estimates are still in development and are subject to change, caution should be taken when making comparisons between the two years and is it not possible to say whether the difference is statistically significant. The new estimate of the prevalence of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking will be used as the main way for the Government to track its efforts on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). Ministers have promised to halve levels in a decade – to 2034 – and will set out more details on how the data will be used in its VAWG strategy which will be published in September. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'As part of our mission to tackle the national emergency of violence against women and girls, we have made sure that for the first time the figures are being recorded in a combined way. 'We have already started to put domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms and invested in major new perpetrator programmes.' Ms Davidge said the move 'reflects the Government's commitment to ending VAWG', but added such prevalence measures do not consider the number of times each person was victimised. 'We know that women encounter higher rates of repeat victimisation, are more likely to be subject to coercive and controlling behaviour and be seriously harmed or killed than male victims,' she said. 'Therefore, prevalence measures can underestimate the gender asymmetry of these crimes.' Refuge chief executive Gemma Sherrington said the Government must act urgently to meet its target, including for ring-fenced multi-year funding for specialist organisations to support survivors. 'We welcome improvements to data collection, but these figures are likely to represent the tip of the iceberg as VAWG remains severely under-reported,' the charity boss said. Elsewhere, data published on Thursday shows the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has climbed to another record high. Some 530,643 offences were logged in 2024-25, up 20% from 444,022 in 2023-24 and the highest total since current police recording practices began in 2002-03. Crime trends in England and Wales and how we measure them. Swipe through to find out the different ways we measure crime, and which measure is best for different crime types 👉 — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 24, 2025 Retail bosses have warned that shop theft is spiralling out of control and that business owners need to see immediate results as ministers have pledged thousands more officers for neighbourhood policing by next spring. The Home Secretary said: 'This summer our new neighbourhood policing guarantee means over 500 town centres are getting extra neighbourhood patrols and action on town centre crime.' Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said the recorded figures show more crimes are being reported, but this is still 'far too low'. He added: 'Retailers tell us that they won't report crime if they have no faith in it being investigated. There are pockets of good practice around the country…but these examples are still too rare.' Theft from the person offences also remain at record levels, with 151,220 recorded by forces in the year to March, up 15% from 131,584 in the previous 12 months. However, the number of knife crime offences recorded by forces slightly dropped. The figure stood at 53,047 in 2024-25, down 1% from 53,685 in 2023,24 and 4% below the pre-pandemic level of 55,170 in 2019,20. Commenting on published figures on Thursday, Billy Gazard of the ONS, said: 'Police recorded crime paints a mixed picture. While homicide, and offences involving knives and guns, declined nationally, there were variations across police forces. 'Meanwhile, the number of recorded shoplifting offences continues to rise.' In total, police forces recorded 6.6 million crimes in England and Wales in 2024-25, down slightly by 1% from 6.7 million in 2023-24. This is up from 6.1 million in the pre-pandemic year of 2019-20, and from 4.2 million a decade earlier in 2014-15. This is likely to reflect 'changes in police activity and recording practices' as well as genuine changes in trends in crimes reported to and recorded by forces, meaning the figures do 'not tend to be a good indicator of general trends in crime', the ONS said. Separate figures published by the Home Office show of all police-recorded offences in 2024-25, 7.3% led to a charge or summons, up from 6.4% in the previous year. For knife-related crimes, 11.5% resulted in a charge or summons in the year to March, which is higher than similar offences without a knife at 6.7%.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Most dangerous parts of UK mapped - check crime levels in your area
A raft of data released by the Home Office and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals the best and worst places for crime in England and Wales - and changes in different types of offences Latest crime stats reveal people in Middlesborough are most likely to be preyed on by criminals. A raft of data released this morning also shows nearly 2% of people in England and Wales suffered sex assaults in the year to March. And a massive jump in fraud cases fuelled a rise in overall crime, even as cases involving knives, robberies and homicides dropped. Shoplifting rose again to record levels, while stark figures show that more than two million cases went unsolved over that period. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that 9.4million crimes occured - a 7% rise on the previous year. But overall crime has dropped significantly in the past decade, numbercrunchers reckon. Here we look at some of the key takeaways from the crime data released today, including an interactive map that shows the situation in your area. Overall crime In the year ending March 2025, more than 5.3 million non-fraud crimes were recorded by the 43 domestic police forces in England and Wales. That was about 92,000 fewer crimes than in the year ending March 2024, a 2% fall. However separate figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates there were around 9.4million crimes, a 7% increase on the previous year. But this was largely driven by a 31% rise in fraud - more on that below - researchers said. The overall total of 9.4 million crimes is 16% lower than the total of 11.2 million for 2016/17. Areas with highest crime rates Crime rates, the number of crimes recorded in each area for every 1,000 people, show people in Middlesbrough are the most likely to fall victim. While Westminster consistently has the highest crime rate in the country, currently at 423 crimes for every 1,000 residents, that includes huge numbers of tourists. The same is likely true of Camden (195 crimes per 1,000 residents). Outside central London, Middlesbrough remains the most crime-plagued part of the nation. Last year there were more than 23,000 crimes in the North East city. While that was a 5% fall from the previous year, it still added up to a crime rate of 158 offences for every 1,000 people. That's the equivalent of one in every six people who live in Middlesbrough falling victim to a crime last year. After Middlesbrough, Blackpool in Lancashire has the highest crime rate (154 crimes per 1,000 people), a fraction higher than affluent Kensington and Chelsea in central London (154), followed by Manchester (152), and Hartlepool (142). Sex assaults Alarming data shows nearly two in 10 adults in England and Wales were victims of sex assault in the year to March. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate around 900,000 over-16s experienced sexual assault, including attempted offences, in that time. The grim stats also reveal that one in eight women experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in that time. Labour has promised to halve cases of violence against women and girls within the next 10 years after describing it as a "national emergency" when it came to power. The latest ONS crime figures also show: 7.8% of people aged 16 years and over (around 3.8 million people) had experienced domestic abuse in the last year 2.9% (around 1.4 million people) had experienced stalking 1.9% (around 900,000 people) had experienced sexual assault 8.6% (around 4.2 million people) had experienced some form of harassment Knife crime The ONS figures show a slight decrease in crimes involving knives and sharp instruments. There were 53,047 offences, a 1% fall compared to 53,685 offences the previous year. There was a 9% rise in London, where the Met Police recorded 16,297 cases. London accounts for 31% of knife-related crimes in England and Wales. There was a big fall in the West Midlands, which recorded a 15% drop to 4,469 offences. Greater Manchester Police saw a 2% rise, with 3,398 cases. There was a significant drop in hospital admissions with stab wounds. Latest provisional NHS data shows these were down by 10% to 3,508 in the year to March. This was a huge 26% below figures from the year ending March 2020, when there were 4,769 admissions. Robberies and theft Police recorded 78,804 incidents in the year to March - a 3% decrease compared to 12 months previously. The figures make a distinction between business and personal property - with the former up by 50% but the latter dropping by 10%. Meanwhile the CSEW restimates 2.8 million thefts in a year - which it says was "no statistically significant change". Fraud This has seen a huge jump, with an estimated 4.2million cases in a year, according to the CSEW. This was a 31% increase compared with the previous year, when there were around 3.2million incidents. The rise was driven by a 30% increase in bank and credit account fraud, with about 2.4 million cases. There was also a 23% rise in consumer and retail fraud. Of the estimated 4.2 million incidents of fraud, around three million involved a loss. Victims were fully reimbursed in 2.1 million of these cases. Homicides Tragically 535 people were killed in the year to March. This was the lowest figure since 2014, and a 6% drop on the previous 12 months. Data recorded by police said the homicide rate was 8.8 per one million people, down from 9.4 a year earlier. Knives or sharp instruments were used in 40% of homicides, which is a drop from 46% in the previous year. Shoplifting There was a 20% increase in shoplifting, with 530,643 offences, latest figures show. There has been sharp rises in these offences since the pandemic - with shoplifting at its highest level since current police recording practices began in 2003. A Tory law change which means thefts valued at under £200 are less likely to be prosecuted is being reversed in Labour's Crime and Policing Bill. The Government has vowed to tackle an "epidemic" of shop thefts. Paddy Lillis, general secretary of trade union Usdaw, said: 'The scale of the epidemic of retail crime is laid bare in these shocking police recorded crime statistics and Usdaw's own survey. "It is increasingly common for retail stores to be targeted by organised crime gangs stealing to order. This is in no way a victimless crime, with weapons and violence used to ensure these criminals are not stopped. Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers." Unsolved crimes There were 2,071,156 unsolved crimes in the year to March - equivalent to 5,674 a day, the figures show. Lib Dem home affairs spokeswoman Lisa Smart said: "Every day, thousands of innocent victims are being left without the justice they deserve after falling victim to heartless criminals. It is an absolute scandal. "The previous Conservative government left behind a legacy of failure, but the Labour government has not been quick enough to address the unsolved crime epidemic - particularly as shoplifting spirals out of control. This neglect of victims cannot be allowed to continue. Our high streets and communities deserve better than this. If the Government wants to deliver safer streets, cracking down on the unsolved shoplifting epidemic must take priority." What has the Government said? Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Serious violence has fallen, including the first falls in knife crime for four years, and overall charge rates are rising so more criminals are finally facing justice. That is welcome progress. 'But the four-year increase in shop theft and street crime reflects the decimation of neighbourhood policing over the past decade. That is why as part of our Plan for Change, this summer our new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee means over 500 town centres are getting extra neighbourhood patrols and action on town centre crime, and we are delivering the first 3,000 increase in neighbourhood officers and PCSOs in communities by next spring. 'As part of our mission to tackle the national emergency of Violence Against Women and Girls, we have made sure that for the first time the figures are being recorded in a combined way, showing that 1 in 8 women were victims of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault last year. That is why we have already started to put domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms, invested in major new perpetrator programmes, and why we are publishing a transformative cross-government VAWG strategy in September, because everybody has a right to feel safe on our streets.'
Leader Live
6 days ago
- Leader Live
About one in 10 people victims of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault
The figure is closer to one in eight for women, while for men it is slightly lower at about one in 12. It is the first time an estimate has been made of the combined prevalence of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking. The figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using data collected as part of the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Reacting to the move, Women's Aid head of research and evaluation Sarah Davidge said this is a 'poignant year' for data relating to violence against women and girls and is a step towards a better overview of these crimes. The survey measures experiences of crime, with domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking referred to as 'crime types' because in some cases a criminal offence may not have occurred. Some 10.6% of all people aged 16 and over are likely to have experienced one or more of these crime types in the year to March 2025, with 12.8% for women and 8.4% for men. The figures equate to an estimated 5.1 million people aged 16 and over in England and Wales, of which 3.2 million are women and nearly 2.0 million are men, the ONS said. A slightly higher estimate of 5.4 million people or 11.3% has been made for the previous 12 months – the year to March 2024 – which equates to 3.4 million women (14.0%) and 2.0 million men (8.6%). The ONS said that because these estimates are still in development and are subject to change, caution should be taken when making comparisons between the two years and is it not possible to say whether the difference is statistically significant. For the first time, we have produced a new estimate combining the prevalence measures of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 24, 2025 The new estimate of the prevalence of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking will be used as the main way for the Government to track its efforts on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). Ministers have promised to halve levels in a decade, and are expected to set out more details on how the data will be used in its VAWG strategy that will be published later this year. Ms Davidge said the move 'reflects the Government's commitment to ending VAWG', but added such prevalence measures do not consider the number of times each person was victimised. 'We know that women encounter higher rates of repeat victimisation, are more likely to be subject to coercive and controlling behaviour and be seriously harmed or killed than male victims,' she said. 'Therefore, prevalence measures can underestimate the gender asymmetry of these crimes.' Elsewhere, data published on Thursday shows the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has climbed to another record high. Some 530,643 offences were logged in 2024-25, up 20% from 444,022 in 2023-24 and the highest total since current police recording practices began in 2002-03. Crime trends in England and Wales and how we measure them. Swipe through to find out the different ways we measure crime, and which measure is best for different crime types 👉 — Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 24, 2025 Retail bosses have warned that official statistics are likely to be the tip of the iceberg, and that shop owners need to see immediate results as ministers have pledged thousands more officers for neighbourhood policing. Theft from the person offences also remain at record levels, with 151,220 recorded by forces in the year to March, up 15% from 131,584 in the previous 12 months. However, the number of knife crime offences recorded by forces slightly dropped. The figure stood at 53,047 in 2024-25, down 1% from 53,685 in 2023,24 and 4% below the pre-pandemic level of 55,170 in 2019,20. Commenting on published figures on Thursday, Billy Gazard of the ONS, said: 'Police recorded crime paints a mixed picture. While homicide, and offences involving knives and guns, declined nationally, there were variations across police forces. 'Meanwhile, the number of recorded shoplifting offences continues to rise.' In total, police forces recorded 6.6 million crimes in England and Wales in 2024-25, down slightly by 1% from 6.7 million in 2023-24. This is up from 6.1 million in the pre-pandemic year of 2019-20, and from 4.2 million a decade earlier in 2014-15. This is likely to reflect 'changes in police activity and recording practices' as well as genuine changes in trends in crimes reported to and recorded by forces, meaning the figures do 'not tend to be a good indicator of general trends in crime', the ONS said. Separate figures from the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales published on Thursday suggest people aged 16 and over experienced 9.4 million incidents of crime in the year to March 2025, up from 8.8 million in the previous 12 months. The rise is mainly due to a 31% rise in fraud, which accounts for 4.2 million incidents. The overall total of 9.4 million incidents in 2024-25 is 16% lower than the total of 11.2 million for 2016-17, however. Mr Gazard added: 'The increase we've seen in crime estimated by our survey has been mainly driven by fraud, specifically bank and credit account fraud, and retail and consumer fraud. 'Both have risen sharply over the past 12 months and, overall, the number of fraud incidents is at the highest since it was first reported on the survey in 2017.' The survey covers a range of personal and household victim-based crime, including theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse and violence with or without injury, but does not include sexual offences, stalking, harassment and domestic abuse, which are presented separately. Experiences of theft, criminal damage and violence with or without injury, as measured by the ONS survey, have been on a broad downwards trend since the mid-1990s. The Home Office has been contacted for comment.
