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Elderly: Abuse

Volume 457: debated on Monday 5 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of (a) (i) physical, (ii) psychological, (iii) financial and (iv) sexual abuse and (b) neglect of elderly people were (A) reported and (B) prosecuted in (1) England and Wales and (2) Cheadle in the last 12 months. (123689)

The specific information requested is not recorded separately within police recorded crime statistics. This data series does not contain any information relating to the victim and therefore, breakdowns by age are not possible. However, The Home Office does, via the British Crime Survey, annually publish the risk of being a victim of different crime types by age group for men and women. The most recent figures, based on the 2005-06 BCS, found that overall older people were less likely to be victims of crime than younger people (see tables 1 and 2).

Table 1 shows that households where the household reference person (HRP) was aged 65 or more were less likely to be victims of burglary, criminal damage or vehicle thefts than those living in households where the head of household is younger. For instance, 1.5 per cent. of households where the HRP was aged 75 and over were victims of one or more burglaries in 2005-06, compared with 2.4 per cent. of all households and 5.9 per cent. of households where the HRP was aged 16 to 24.

Table 2 shows that the risk of being a victim of violent crime is considerably lower for older people than younger adults. For instance, 0.5 per cent. of men and women aged 65 to 74 were victims of one or more incidents of violence in 2005-06. This compares with 3.4 per cent. of all adults, 12.6 per cent. of men aged 16 to 24 and 7.0 per cent. of women aged 16 to 24. It also shows 0.3 per cent. of men and 1.3 per cent. of women aged 75 and over were victims of one of more incidents of theft from the person in 2005-06. This compares with 2.3 per cent. of men and 3.3 per cent. of women aged 16 to 24.

Table 1: Percentage of households victims of burglary, vehicle thefts and criminal damage by age of household reference person— 2005-06 BCS

Percentage victims once or more

Age of household reference person

All burglary

All vehicle theft

All criminal damage

16 to 24

5.9

13.6

8.2

25 to 34

3.4

10.3

9.0

35 to 44

3.0

8.7

10.0

45 to 54

2.4

8.8

9.3

55 to 64

1.6

6.1

7.3

65 to 74

1.2

2.6

4.6

75+

1.5

2.6

2.8

All households

2.4

7.5

7.6

Note:

Figures for vehicle thefts based on vehicle-owning households.

Table 2: Percentage of adult victims of violence and theft from the person by age—2005-06 BCS

Percentage victims once or more

All violence

Theft from person

Men

4.3

0.9

16 to 24

12.6

2.3

25 to 34

5,5

1.4

35 to 44

3.9

0.7

45 to 54

3.1

0.5

55 to 64

1.1

0.4

65 to 74

0.5

0.2

75+

0.3

0.3

Women

2.5

1.5

16 to 24

7.0

3.3

25 to 34

2.8

1.0

35 to 44

3.0

1.3

45 to 54

2.2

1.3

55 to 64

1.0

1.0

65 to 74

0.5

1.5

75+

0.4

1.3

All adults

3.4

1.2