Sharp rise in violent crime

The figures relate to crimes reported to police

Official figures have revealed a sharp jump in violent crime, overshadowing the government's bid to emphasise its tough approach to law and order.

Home Office figures released on Tuesday showed that incidents of violent crime rose by 8% and robbery by 21% between October 1999 and September 2000.

Crime hotspots

West Midlands Police: Highest robbery rate outside London with 4.1 offences per 1,000 people.

London: Robbery rate 5.6 offences per 1,000 people.

Central Newcastle: Highest number of violent attacks - ranging from common assault to murder - with 236.5 per 1,000 residents.

As the statistics - which show a 0.2% drop in overall crime - were published, it was also announced that the number of people joining the police force had risen significantly.

But the rise in violent offences reported to the police forms an embarrassing backdrop for Labour in the run-up to an expected spring election.

Inner-city areas remained the worst for violence, robbery and burglary, according to the new statistics.

But burglary rates actually fell by 8% - the seventh consecutive drop - while thefts of vehicles fell 7% and thefts from vehicles fell 6%.

'Figures encouraging'

Home Secretary Jack Straw insisted the figures were encouraging and showed "the continuing success of effective action against crime".

"As a result of excellent work by the police, local councils, community groups and others, recorded crime fell over the 12-month period.

Jack Straw has pledged to boost police numbers

"Many of those lessons learnt targeting burglary and car crime were used to good effect on violent crime too."

The figures come just a week after Mr Straw unveiled an "action plan" to cut violent crime and pledged to boost police numbers to record levels within four years.

That aim was backed up with the announcement that police numbers, falling since 1993, increased by 444 from March to September last year.

A total of 5,200 recruits joined in 2000 compared to 3,000 the year before.

It also emerged the government will soon be announcing moves to make it more attractive for experienced officers to carry on working after 30 years of service.

We are being invited to rejoice that the overall fall in crime is 0.2%

Ann Widdecombe

Home Office Minister Mike O'Brien told the BBC: "Overall the message is a good one - crime down, police numbers going back up."

Police colleges were "bulging" and they were looking at a "number" of other initiatives to increase police numbers, he went on.

Nonetheless they were "seriously concerned" about the violent crime figures.

The task now was to keep up the pressure on areas such as vehicle crime and burglary while delivering the same successes against muggings and alcohol-fuelled street crime, Mr O'Brien added.

On Friday the government's Police and Criminal Justice Bill will be published, including measures for fixed penalty notices to be issued to drunken yobs.

The Conservatives used the crime figures to renew previous attacks over the long term fall in police numbers.

William Hague and Ann Widdecombe are expected to launch an assault on Labour's record

Shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe told the BBC: "The truth of the matter is that we left behind a fall in crime of 16%.

"We are being invited to rejoice that the overall fall in crime, according to the latest year, is 0.2%.

"That is actually flatlining at its most optimistic interpretation."

She said the "huge fall" in police numbers was mainly to blame, alongside courts having inadequate powers to deal with young offenders.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes said: "I think the worrying thing, in a pattern which may otherwise not be so worrying, is the violent crime increase in the streets."

He backed the idea of asking experienced police officers to stay on and called for more sport and "constructive activity" for youngsters.

Recorded crime figures by offence
Offence group	12 months to Sept 1999	12 months to Sept 2000	% change
Violence against the person	551,157	588,846	+6.8
Sexual offences	37,400	37,263	-0.4
Robbery	74,835	90,410	+20.8
Total violent crime	663,392	716,519	+8.0
Burglary	935,343	862,671	-7.8
Total theft & handling stolen goods	2,218,829	2,179,674	-1.8
Theft of and from vehicles	1,071,788	1,000,317	-6.7
Fraud & forgery	313,833	328,306	+4.6
Criminal damage	908,651	953,979	+5.0
Total property crime	4,376,656	4,324,630	-1.2
Drug offences	129,670	115,492	-10.9
Other notifiable offences	64,708	64,775	+0.1
Total all offences	5,234,426	5,221,416	-0.2
Source: Home Office Notifiable offences recorded by the police by offence