The term ‘violent crime' is no longer used. Data are supplied for violence against the person offences. The number of offences recorded by police forces in the North East and for the local authorities of Tyne and Wear for 2005-06 to 200-09 are shown in Tables A to H placed in the House Library.
The police record offences following the guidance provided by the Home Office Counting Rules. These provide a national standard for the recording and counting of notifiable offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales and help maintain a greater consistency between police forces in the recording of crime. In April 2002 the National Crime Recording Standard principles were introduced so that when a victim reported a crime the police had to record it unless there were credible evidence to the contrary. This removed significant discretion that had previously applied in police recording of crimes.
In each police force, a Force Crime Registrar (FCR) is responsible for deciding to which offence a particular crime should be recorded. These FCRs, along with representatives of the Home Office, ACPO and HMIC meet regularly to discuss and review the counting rules. These rules are designed to ensure that each police force records crime in a way comparable to other forces.
The counting rules, and changes to definitions can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html
There have been changes to some of the classifications for violence against the person offences between 2005-06 and 2008-09, which are outlined below. While these changes can affect the number of offences recorded between offence types, they do not affect the total figures for violence against the person offences.
Offence classifications 5A (inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent), 5B (use of substance or object to endanger life) and 5C (possession of items to endanger life) were introduced from 1 April 2008 and replace classification five (more serious wounding or other act endangering life). Classification 5A was influenced by a clarification in recording rules that had the effect of significantly increasing levels of recording in some forces. More information on this is given in Volume 2 to Crime in England and Wales 2008/09 at the following link.
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1109vol2.pdf
Offence classifications 8F (inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent), 8G (actual bodily harm and other injury), 8H (racially or religiously aggravated inflicting GBH without intent), 8J (racially or religiously aggravated ABH or other injury) and 8K (poisoning or female genital mutilation) were introduced from 1 April 2008 and had previously been recorded as part of classifications 8A (less serious wounding) or 8D (racially or religiously aggravated less serious wounding).
Offence classifications 3A (conspiracy to murder) and 3B (threats to kill) were introduced from 1 April 2008 and had previously been recorded as classification 3 (threat or conspiracy to murder).
Offence classifications 10A (possession of firearms with intent), 10C (possession of other weapons) and 10D (possession of article with blade or point) were introduced from one April 2008 and had previously been recorded as classification 8B (possession of weapons).
Offence classifications 8L (harassment) and 9A (public fear, alarm or distress) were introduced from 1 April 2008 and had previously been recorded as classification 8C (harassment/public fear, alarm or distress).
Offence classifications 8M (racially or religiously aggravated harassment) and 9B (racially or religiously aggravated public fear, alarm or distress) were introduced from 1 April 2008 and had previously been recorded as classification 8E (racially or religiously aggravated harassment/public fear, alarm or distress).