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Crimes of Violence

Volume 508: debated on Wednesday 7 April 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) murders and (b) sexual offences recorded in (i) each police force area and (ii) England and Wales, in each year since 1998 remain unsolved. (317568)

The available information is given in the form of tables showing undetected crime in each financial year from 1998-99 to 2008-09. Tables 1 and 2 show the numbers for undetected homicides; tables 3 and 4 those for undetected sexual offences. As offences detected in the current year may initially have been recorded in an earlier year it is not possible to determine the numbers of undetected crime in a particular year.

It should be noted that non-sanction detections, which contribute to the overall detection rates, have fallen in recent years. This reflects a significant shift by many police forces away from recording detections where no further action is taken. This will have had an impact on the number of crimes which remain undetected.

Table 1: Undetected homicides by police force area1998/99 to 2001/02

Undetected

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

Avon and Somerset

2

2

-3

6

Bedfordshire

-1

-2

3

0

Cambridgeshire

-2

0

-1

4

Cheshire

1

0

0

1

Cleveland

0

1

-2

1

Cumbria

0

1

2

1

Derbyshire

0

2

1

-2

Devon and Cornwall

1

0

2

-1

Dorset

2

-3

0

5

Durham

0

-2

-1

0

Dyfed-Powys

0

1

-1

0

Essex

4

3

2

4

Gloucestershire

2

1

1

3

Greater Manchester

-8

6

5

6

Gwent

0

0

1

-1

Hampshire

-1

0

3

3

Hertfordshire

0

0

2

-1

Humberside

4

0

4

5

Kent

-1

3

2

4

Lancashire

0

1

1

-1

Leicestershire

-2

0

2

0

Lincolnshire

2

1

2

-1

London, City of

0

0

0

0

Merseyside

0

-2

7

13

Metropolitan Police

20

45

19

55

Norfolk

2

-2

2

3

Northamptonshire

1

0

0

1

Northumbria

-1

0

3

1

North Wales

0

0

0

0

North Yorkshire

0

1

0

0

Nottinghamshire

3

0

4

1

South Wales

1

4

0

-6

South Yorkshire

1

1

-1

6

Staffordshire

4

2

3

-3

Suffolk

0

1

-3

0

Surrey

1

1

7

-3

Sussex

4

-1

5

5

Thames Valley

3

4

4

-1

Warwickshire

0

-1

0

0

West Mercia

-2

1

1

0

West Midlands

0

3

8

8

West Yorkshire

-1

0

-1

8

Wiltshire

0

1

1

-1

England and Wales

39

73

84

123

Note:

Offences detected in any given year may have been previously recorded in an earlier year. When offences detected in the year exceed the number recorded a negative value is shown.

Table 2: Undetected homicides by police force area—2002-03 to 2008-09

Undetected

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Avon and Somerset

5

1

4

1

2

1

1

Bedfordshire

-1

0

-1

3

-4

-2

1

British Transport Police

-1

43

-3

2

0

1

2

Cambridgeshire

-2

1

1

2

0

1

2

Cheshire

0

2

1

2

-2

-2

2

Cleveland

2

-1

1

-3

1

0

1

Cumbria

0

1

2

0

0

0

0

Derbyshire

2

0

-3

0

2

0

1

Devon and Cornwall

4

0

0

1

6

5

-1

Dorset

0

0

2

-1

3

-1

0

Durham

-2

1

0

0

2

1

-1

Dyfed-Powys

1

0

1

-1

0

1

-1

Essex

6

3

0

9

-3

2

-1

Gloucestershire

2

1

2

1

0

2

-1

Greater Manchester

7

2

15

0

7

6

8

Gwent

0

0

1

0

0

1

1

Hampshire

9

3

4

0

5

2

0

Hertfordshire

1

4

-1

4

-2

1

-1

Humberside

1

5

-32

1

0

1

0

Kent

-1

-1

2

1

1

3

0

Lancashire

4

19

-20

-1

0

0

3

Leicestershire

2

2

2

1

4

-2

1

Lincolnshire

-3

2

0

0

1

6

4

London, City of

0

0

0

0

1

-1

0

Merseyside

11

9

12

-2

2

3

2

Metropolitan Police

37

6

16

16

27

18

14

Norfolk

2

0

-1

4

-2

1

2

Northamptonshire

1

0

1

0

2

0

1

Northumbria

-1

2

-1

2

0

3

-2

North Wales

7

-5

1

1

0

1

-3

North Yorkshire

-2

2

-3

0

1

-1

0

Nottinghamshire

4

-1

1

-3

3

-3

2

South Wales

-4

3

-2

5

2

-1

1

South Yorkshire

1

0

0

0

3

2

0

Staffordshire

5

0

-2

1

2

1

0

Suffolk

2

0

1

4

2

1

0

Surrey

6

2

3

1

-1

1

-1

Sussex

5

2

5

0

0

4

-1

Thames Valley

7

5

-3

7

1

2

-4

Warwickshire

1

1

-1

4

0

-1

-1

West Mercia

0

3

2

-2

1

3

4

West Midlands

15

0

-4

8

-3

6

5

West Yorkshire

-3

19

2

3

4

2

5

Wiltshire

0

1

1

0

1

1

-1

England and Wales

130

137

6

71

69

69

44

Note:

Offences detected in any given year may have been previously recorded in an earlier year. When offences detected in the year exceed the number recorded a negative value is shown.

Table 3: Undetected sexual offences by police force area—1998-99 to 2001-02

Undetected

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

Avon and Somerset

394

441

673

915

Bedfordshire

260

279

250

269

Cambridgeshire

241

232

278

378

Cheshire

106

76

90

113

Cleveland

104

93

95

87

Cumbria

35

37

30

49

Derbyshire

299

405

482

430

Devon and Cornwall

236

162

229

484

Dorset

213

225

253

316

Durham

82

49

58

181

Dyfed-Powys

28

23

21

28

Essex

695

620

711

721

Gloucestershire

172

176

189

165

Greater Manchester

1,242

1,354

1,340

1,599

Gwent

132

97

55

56

Hampshire

189

663

794

822

Hertfordshire

170

181

289

207

Humberside

501

569

516

651

Kent

499

486

674

702

Lancashire

455

385

531

691

Leicestershire

414

471

437

526

Lincolnshire

129

116

123

225

London, City of

20

16

9

16

Merseyside

335

423

467

657

Metropolitan Police

6,447

7,911

7,566

8,057

Norfolk

168

196

216

281

Northamptonshire

153

97

81

165

Northumbria

531

607

553

649

North Wales

75

72

169

262

North Yorkshire

65

118

125

145

Nottinghamshire

603

675

740

875

South Wales

143

142

145

154

South Yorkshire

223

214

229

253

Staffordshire

372

735

803

815

Suffolk

166

216

251

319

Surrey

80

376

511

446

Sussex

564

697

818

783

Thames Valley

680

824

862

857

Warwickshire

76

108

118

115

West Mercia

206

256

248

469

West Midlands

915

1099

1331

1518

West Yorkshire

690

596

606

751

Wiltshire

114

165

256

220

England and Wales

19,222

22,683

24,186

27,422

Note:

The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.

Table 4: Undetected sexual offences by police force area2002/03 to 2008/09

Undetected

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Avon and Somerset

1,306

1,386

1,531

1,113

1,292

1,115

1,095

Bedfordshire

362

437

392

493

350

280

348

British Transport Police

656

795

876

671

700

534

547

Cambridgeshire

540

624

560

572

544

561

523

Cheshire

386

533

585

649

589

484

433

Cleveland

221

409

444

434

397

330

315

Cumbria

89

163

200

179

169

211

192

Derbyshire

716

700

758

754

752

745

702

Devon and Cornwall

813

1,047

1,095

1,085

1,040

1,033

992

Dorset

448

542

500

560

472

579

543

Durham

237

129

170

453

265

285

260

Dyfed-Powys

31

261

289

256

250

208

184

Essex

1,023

1,136

884

973

777

815

846

Gloucestershire

338

322

364

465

470

426

377

Greater Manchester

1,844

2,330

2,430

2,184

2,052

2,048

1,963

Gwent

153

130

248

294

335

430

375

Hampshire

1,078

1,606

1,846

1,951

1,975

1,699

1,634

Hertfordshire

401

435

563

565

612

523

438

Humberside

857

1,136

1,072

943

928

676

665

Kent

857

1,046

1,308

1,334

1260

1,140

935

Lancashire

579

1,014

983

874

830

817

684

Leicestershire

745

768

1,006

948

915

931

856

Lincolnshire

482

501

504

441

455

424

426

London, City of

20

24

34

30

32

37

17

Merseyside

834

946

873

912

666

620

497

Metropolitan Police

8,343

7,800

7,193

6,725

6,717

6,288

5,976

Norfolk

503

533

588

573

483

447

359

Northamptonshire

362

300

345

395

348

449

409

Northumbria

943

990

1,018

825

735

657

582

North Wales

465

404

411

388

395

408

402

North Yorkshire

248

309

304

335

332

372

348

Nottinghamshire

731

805

731

759

778

807

870

South Wales

377

429

528

707

610

622

607

South Yorkshire

524

540

890

1,043

878

782

563

Staffordshire

757

766

836

865

794

701

782

Suffolk

363

490

400

407

435

473

489

Surrey

429

468

549

492

397

439

618

Sussex

889

939

1,331

1,119

1,128

960

1,034

Thames Valley

1,398

1,500

1,517

1,456

1,680

1,580

1,617

Warwickshire

188

292

268

242

300

265

269

West Mercia

601

672

706

576

609

740

720

West Midlands

1,849

2,137

2,434

2,325

2,329

2,140

1,786

West Yorkshire

1,280

1,832

1,652

1,822

1,662

1,589

1,532

Wiltshire

455

404

345

351

419

404

343

England and Wales

35,721

40,030

41,561

40,538

39,156

37,074

35,153

Note:

The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.