The figures relate to crimes reported to police
Home Office figures unveiled on Thursday showed violent crimes increased by 4.3% in the 12 months ending in March, but 31 of the 43 police forces solved fewer cases.
The Home Office says that despite rising crime figures, the rate of the rise is slowing.
But a number of police chiefs have blamed a change in government crime policies for the "soaring" statistics, saying the public would be "unnerved" by the latest findings.
In the report violent crimes showed a large jump for a second year:
The rise in robbery figures is partly blamed on teenage boys stealing mobile phones from other youngsters.
Beat policing
Chairman of the Police Federation, Fred Broughton, said "soaring" violent crime was partly due to the government's emphasis away from beat policing.
Colin Phillips, head of crime policy for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said it was possibly that the crackdown on property crime has led to more robberies.
"A lot of people are looking for easier targets," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "Rather than take the risk of breaking into someone's house, they are stealing from friends and colleagues."
But he said there were no simple solutions, and called for broader social improvements in areas such as education and prospects for inner-city youth.
Investment
The Home Office said despite the rise in reported incidents of violent crime to 733,000, the rate of the rise has slowed from 16% last year.
It also pointed out that the British Crime Survey, which interviews people to find their experience of crime whether they have reported it or not, suggests a downward trend with a 22% fall in violent offences.
"There are no quick wins on crime - it is a long term investment," he said.
"We have had real success with burglary and car crime but this was hard earned.
"One continued area of concern is the continued rise in robbery. However, the rate is slowing significantly and is now half of the 26% increase for the previous 12 months.
Detection rates
"Part of this is due to a rise in mobile phone theft, which in some urban areas accounts for up to 40% of all robberies."
The statistics show police solved just 24% of all reported crimes in the year to March, compared with 25% in the previous 12 months and 34% in 1989.
Home Office statistician Paul Wiles said detection rates were probably at their lowest ever "in numerical terms".
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes said it was "appalling" that three out of four crimes go unsolved.
"Nothing is more likely to foster insecurity and fear of crime than so few crimes resulting in someone being brought to account for their actions," he said.
Cumbria success
Kevin Morris, president of the Police Superintendents' Association, said the public would be "unnerved" by the figures.
And he called for more effort to be put into crime reduction.
"Having no crime in the first place is better than having to detect it later," he said.
Mr Wiles said recorded crime fell in 34 police forces, with Cumbria showing the largest decrease at 12.9%, followed by South Wales at 12.5%.
Nine forces recorded rises, topped by Lancashire with an 8.1% increase, followed by North Wales at 7% and Staffordshire at 5.9%.
However, five of these nine forces have changed the way they record crime which results in a higher proportion of incidents being recorded, he said.
Mr Wiles predicted that if those five had not changed their methods the total number of recorded crimes would have fallen 3.5%.