asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out in tabular form the number of murders known by the police to have been committed, the numbers of murderers convicted and the number of murderers executed, in each year between 1924 and 1944.
The information is as follows:
| Number of Murders. | Total. | Number of Trial. | Sentenced to death. | Executed. | ||||||||||
| Year. | Murders known to police.(2) | Murders of infants under one year (included in Col.(2)) | ‡ Cleared up during year | Not. Tried. | Acquitted. | Guilty but Insane | Convicted | |||||||
| Murders shown in Col. (2). | Murders shown in Col.(2) of previous year. | No Prosecution | Insane on Arraignment. | |||||||||||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8) | (9) | (10) | (11) | (12) | (13) | ||
| 1922 | … | … | 145 | 45 | — | — | 60 | — | 3 | 9 | 13 | 35 | 34 | 21 |
| 1923 | … | … | 150 | 51 | — | — | 58 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 21 | 11 |
| 1924 | … | … | 150 | 45 | — | — | 42 | — | 3 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 9 |
| 1925 | … | … | 160 | 35 | — | — | 81 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 31 | 30 | 19 |
| 1926 | … | … | 154 | 40 | — | — | 57 | — | 5 | 10 | 18 | 24 | 24 | 16 |
| IO27 | … | … | 143 | 43 | — | — | 50 | — | 6 | 6 | 13 | 25 | 25 | 16 |
| 1928 | … | … | 136 | 37 | — | — | 60 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 23 | 23 | 13 |
| 1929 | … | … | 131 | 28 | — | — | 50 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 7 |
| 1930 | … | … | 122 | 35 | — | — | 40 | — | 7 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 5 |
| 1931 | … | … | 138 | 27 | — | — | 57 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 9 |
| 1932 | … | … | 125 | 31 | — | — | 64 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 29 | 15 | 15 | 9 |
| 1933 | … | … | 141 | 30 | — | — | 53 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 10 |
| 1934 | … | … | 141 | 32 | — | — | 61 | — | 7 | 11 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 9 |
| 1935 | … | … | 120 | 19 | — | — | 52 | — | 6 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 1936 | … | … | 145 | 31 | — | — | 67 | — | 12 | 8 | 20 | 27 | 27 | 9 |
| I937 | … | … | 114 | 26 | 98 | 1 | 44 | — | 14 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 7 |
| I938 | … | … | 116 | 19 | 100 | 1 | 54 | — | 12 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 22 | 8 |
| 1939 | … | … | 157 | 21 | 143 | 3 | 64 | — | 11 | 14 | 11 | 28 | 25 | 9 |
| 1940 | … | … | 123 | 8 | 111 | — | 59 | — | 12 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 21 | 11 |
| 1941 | … | … | 146 | 11 | 133 | — | 64 | — | 10 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 15 |
| 1942 | … | … | 290 | 37 | 185 | 2 | 72 | 2 | 13 | 9 | 17 | 31 | 25 | 18 |
| 1913 | … | … | 174 | 34 | 151 | 5 | 75 | — | 12 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 27 | 15 |
| I944 | … | … | 166 | 35 | 147 | 7 | 48 | — | 10 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 21 | 13 |
*Figures for crimes cleared up during the year are not available before 1937. | ||||||||||||||
| †1944 figures are provisional only. | ||||||||||||||
| ‡For the purpose of this column murders "cleared up" refers to cases where a person has been charged with the offence or when the suspect has died, or where more than one murder has been committed by the same person. | ||||||||||||||