NCJ Number
191845
Date Published
October 2000
Length
145 pages
Annotation
This document presents statistics on crimes against people living in private households in England and Wales.
Abstract
The British Crime Survey (BCS) estimates there were just over 14,700,000 crimes against adults living in private households in 1999. Vandalism against vehicles and other private property accounted for 2,853 crimes. Property thefts, including burglary, vehicle-related thefts, bicycle thefts, household, and personal thefts accounted for 8,617 crimes. All violent crimes (mugging, wounding, and common assault) totaled 3,246. About three-quarters of BCS crimes measured in 1999 fall into offense categories that can be compared with police recorded crime categories, and half of recorded crime can be compared with BCS crime. This is mainly because only 41 percent of comparable crimes are reported to the police. Not all reported crimes are recorded by the police. The BCS estimates there was a 10 percent fall in crimes against people living in private households between 1997 and 1999. This continues a downward trend in BCS crime between 1995 and 1997, when there was a 15 percent fall. The public is rather pessimistic about the problem of crime. One-third believed that the national crime rate had increased “a lot” between 1997 and 1999, when this is not indicated by either BCS or police figures. Around one in five to one in six people were “very worried” about burglary, car crime, mugging, physical attack by a stranger, and rape. Concern about crime will be linked both to peoples’ beliefs about their chances of being victimized and what they feel about the consequences of victimization. Levels of worry are higher among those living in high crime areas, recent victims, those who consider it likely they will be victimized, and those who are socially or economically vulnerable. 3 appendices, glossary, 48 references