Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against for the 10 most common offences in England and Wales and Essex for 2007, broken down by result, sex and age group are shown in tables A1 and A2 as follows.
Available information on motoring offences for 2007 (latest available) is provided in tables B1 and B2. The data are based on the 10 most common offences proceeded against. Some of these cover more than one offence where the data reported centrally do not identify them separately.
Number of persons Males All persons Aged 10-17 Aged 18 and over No Offence description Total proceedings Total proceedings Total findingsof guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody 17000 1 Motor vehicle licences; failure to pay appropriate duty. 4,355 — — — — 3,468 3,126 3,080 — 19101 2 Television licence evasion. 3,029 — — — — 1,047 874 871 — 16901 3 Offences in relation to railways 2,591 22 12 10 — 2,056 1,725 1,719 1 10501 4 Common assault and battery. 2,397 401 337 4 8 1,625 1,117 68 233 4600 5 Stealing from shops and stalls. 2,024 217 207 18 3 1,259 1,194 254 344 14900 6 Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less. 1,353 368 310 3 — 835 709 172 43 8301 7 Failing to surrender to bail 1,152 67 31 3 — 925 420 208 69 12512 8 Harassment, alarm and distress. 815 121 83 20 — 564 507 345 — 806 9 Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm. 569 97 60 1 12 403 229 3 83 11606 10 Contravening the law relating to the regulation and control of fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish and eels etc. 534 1 — — — 525 506 497 — Total 18,819 1,294 1,040 59 23 12,707 10,407 7,217 773
Number of personsFemalesAged 10-17Aged 18 and overNoOffence descriptionTotal proceedingsTotal findings of guiltFinedImmediate custodyTotal proceedingsTotal findings of guiltFinedImmediate custody170001Motor vehicle licences; failure to pay appropriate duty.————887805794—191012Television licence evasion.————1,9821,7421,741—169013Offences in relation to railways643—507418415—105014Common assault and battery.10589—226616981346005Stealing from shops and stalls.10798114414147384149006Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less. 43322—1077916183017Failing to surrender to bail189——14246194125128Harassment, alarm and distress. 4737——836535—8069Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm.149115523—21160610Contravening the law relating to the regulation and control of fishing for salmon, trout, freshwater fish and eels etc.————888—Total340278744,4783,7693,109104 1 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Number of persons Males All persons Aged 10-17 Aged 18 and over No Offence description Total proceedings Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findingsof guilt Fined Immediate custody 19101 1 Television licence evasion. 135,508 10 6 6 0 46,427 40,033 39,715 0 17000 2 Motor vehicle licences; failure to pay appropriate duty. 86,753 60 24 24 0 69,882 61,414 60,611 1 10501 3 Common assault and battery. 75,871 10,055 7,899 88 279 54,554 36,305 4,028 5,363 4600 4 Stealing from shops and stalls. 67,641 6,186 5,676 361 142 44,745 41,567 7,514 9,103 16901 5 Offences in relation to railways. 42,588 368 250 157 0 34,078 28,896 28,476 12 8301 6 Failing to surrender to bail. 41,341 2,959 1,327 261 17 32,338 18,171 8,467 2,174 14900 7 Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less. 39,416 9,998 8,049 247 9 25,632 21,083 5,093 1,039 12512 8 Harassment, alarm and distress. 27,683 4,638 3,344 651 0 19,346 15,407 9,176 10 17313 9 Any other offences peculiar to stage carriages and public service vehicles not classified elsewhere1 27,250 24 9 7 0 17,032 14,454 14,224 0 806 10 Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm. 23,811 3,634 2,667 15 366 17,180 11,733 413 3,600 Total 567,862 37,932 29,251 1,817 813 361,214 289,063 177,717 21,302
Females Aged 10-17 Aged 18 and over No Offence description Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody 19101 1 Television licence evasion. 43 33 33 0 89,028 80,802 80,286 0 17000 2 Motor vehicle licences; failure to pay appropriate duty. 4 2 2 0 16,807 14,626 14,409 0 10501 3 Common assault and battery. 3,643 2,852 15 62 7,619 5,095 430 344 4600 4 Stealing from shops and stalls. 2,712 2,447 89 36 13,998 12,873 1,866 1,985 16901 5 Offences in relation to railways. 59 40 22 0 8,083 6,681 6,580 1 8301 6 Failing to surrender to bail. 580 281 35 3 5,464 2,734 1,083 251 14900 7 Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less. 1,373 1,109 21 1 2,413 1,860 273 61 12512 8 Harassment, alarm and distress. 1,103 795 90 0 2,596 1,979 915 0 17313 9 Any other offences peculiar to stage carriages and public service vehicles not classified elsewhere1 20 12 12 0 10,174 8,129 7,929 0 806 10 Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm. 966 718 2 61 2,031 1,282 28 178 Total 10,503 8,289 321 163 158,213 136,061 113,799 2,820 1 Includes offences under the Road Transport (International Passenger Services) Regulations 1984, sections 12, 24(2), 24(3), 25, 60, 66(a-e) of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981, the Public Service Vehicles (Condition of fitness, equipment, use and certification) Regulations 1981 and the Public Service Vehicles (Lost property) Regulations 1978. 2 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Number of persons Males Persons Aged 10-17 Aged 18 and over No Offence description Total proceedings Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody 1 Speed limit offences 8,568 32 27 21 — 6,709 5,721 5,649 — 2 Using motor vehicles uninsured against third party risks 6,797 293 248 111 — 5,713 4,846 3,696 — 3 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty 4,631 3 2 — — 3,689 3,310 3,246 — 4 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 3,816 268 222 32 — 3,055 2,552 1,200 — 5 Other vehicle registration offences (excluding fraud and forgery)1 2,193 17 9 7 — 1,774 1,287 1,263 — 6 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 2,189 34 33 3 1 1,849 1,783 1,218 111 7 Other miscellaneous motoring offences3 1,620 7 5 4 — 1,298 871 807 — 8 Other offences of neglect of traffic directions2 1,491 30 22 4 — 1,069 973 901 — 9 Careless driving - without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for others 1,404 71 60 40 — 1,100 928 801 — 10 Vehicle test offences 951 30 19 3 — 808 603 243 —
Females Aged 10-17 Aged 18 and over No Offence description Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody 1 Speed limit offences — — — — 1,827 1,583 1,577 — 2 Using motor vehicles uninsured against third party risks 13 10 3 — 778 654 550 — 3 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty — — — — 939 853 839 — 4 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 10 8 1 — 483 384 199 — 5 Other vehicle registration offences (excluding fraud and forgery)1 — — — — 402 273 267 — 6 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 3 3 — — 303 298 210 8 7 Other miscellaneous motoring offences3 — — — — 315 222 210 — 8 Other offences of neglect of traffic directions2 1 1 — — 391 365 359 — 9 Careless driving - without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for others 2 1 — — 231 199 188 — 10 Vehicle test offences — — — — 113 80 43 — — = Nil. 1 Includes offences under SS34, 35, 37, 42, 43 46 & 59 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994; S28A, S43C and S46A of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 as added by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005; Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002; and Reg 35 of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003. 2 Includes offences under SS35(1) & (2), 36(1) & 163(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988; S28(3) Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984; and S6 Traffic Management Act 2004. 3 Includes offences under SS 13(1), 17(2), 18(4), 34(1), 71(1), 75(5), 76(1), 76(3), 83, 123(4), 135, 177 & Sch 1(6) of the Road Traffic Act 1988; SS 3(1)(a) & (b) of the Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972; SS 35A(2),47(1), 47(3), 104, 112(4), 117 & Sch 12 Para 3(5) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1994; Regs 3, 9, 22, 33, 83, 86 & 89 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986; Regs 7, 8, 23 27 & 28 of the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations 2003; and S4BD of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. Notes: 1. A person appearing in court can be dealt with for more than one offence at that appearance. The table shows the number of offences dealt with and not the number of persons appearing in court. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Number of persons Males Persons Aged 10-17 Aged 18 and over No Offence description Total proceedings Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody 1 Using motor vehicles uninsured against third party risks 299,419 12,101 10,369 3,717 — 255,132 197,140 152,601 — 2 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 181,940 9,975 8,361 1,540 — 152,015 109,384 64,922 — 3 Speed limit offences 177,593 534 468 377 — 143,058 109,685 118,083 — 4 Vehicle test offences 125,596 2,518 2,518 241 — 109,562 119,509 27,273 — 5 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty 90,028 102 40 25 — 72,463 63,477 62,340 — 6 Other miscellaneous motoring offences1 78,051 180 119 54 — 61,630 41,345 37,872 — 7 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 77,834 1,358 1,303 198 — 66,248 63,693 46,514 2,849 8 Other vehicle insurance offences (except forgery etc)2 46,220 616 127 34 43 40,546 14,324 3,032 — 9 Failing to produce driving licence 36,145 468 120 28 — 31,877 15,846 5,969 — 10 Driving whilst disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence 34,579 1,457 1,292 21 391 31,501 28,743 1,783 10,099
Females Aged 10-17 Aged 18 & over No Offence description Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody Total proceedings Total findings of guilt Fined Immediate custody 1 Using motor vehicles uninsured against third party risks 520 452 167 — 31,666 24,771 21,207 — 2 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 467 397 79 — 19,483 14,268 8,537 — 3 Speed limit offences 23 19 17 — 33,978 28,568 28,356 — 4 Vehicle test offences 84 84 8 — 13,432 13,435 3,393 — 5 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty 6 3 2 — 17,457 15,205 14,919 — 6 Other miscellaneous motoring offences1 8 5 4 — 16,233 10,251 8,995 — 7 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 119 115 6 — 10,109 9,774 7,566 100 8 Other vehicle insurance offences (except forgery etc)(2) 22 1 — — 5,036 1,561 272 — 9 Failing to produce driving licence 10 1 — — 3,790 1,883 693 — 10 Driving whilst disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence 27 23 1 2 1,594 1,502 148 280 — = Nil. 1 Includes offences under SS 13(1), 17(2), 18(4), 34(1), 71(1), 75(5), 76(1), 76(3), 83, 123(4), 135, 177 & Sch 1(6) of the Road Traffic Act 1988; SS 3(1)(a) & (b) of the Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972; SS 35A(2),47(1), 47(3), 104, 112(4), 117 & Sch 12 Para 3(5) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1994; Regs 3, 9, 22, 33, 83, 86 & 89 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986; Regs 7, 8, 23 27 & 28 of the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulations 2003; and S4BD of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. 2 Includes offences under SS147, 154(2), 165(3), 170(7) & 171(2); and the Motor Vehicles (Third Party Risks) Regulations 1972. Notes: 1. A person appearing in court can be dealt with for more than one offence at that appearance. The table shows the number of offences dealt with and not the number of persons appearing in court. 2. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences are less than complete. 3. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.