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Crime: DNA Database

Volume 711: debated on Monday 15 June 2009

Question

Asked by

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many offences of (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) other sexual offences, and (d) other violent offences were committed in (1) 1976–77, (2) 1986–87, (3) 1996–97, and (4) 2006–07; and in how many of those cases (a) convictions were achieved, and (b) DNA was used in securing those convictions. [HL3874]

Information is not available in the form requested as it is not possible to track individual offences through to their court outcome. The police-recorded crime data are based on the number of offences recorded by the police. Convictions data are provided by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and are based on the number of offenders. These data are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.

Table one provides data on the number of offences recorded by the police. Financial-year data are only available from 1997-98 so calendar-year data have been provided for 1977, 1987 and 1997. Data for homicide offences have been provided as at the time the police record an offence it are not necessarily known whether the offence was a murder or manslaughter.

Table two gives the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for violent offences in England and Wales for the years 1977, 1987, 1997 and 2007. Court data are only available on a calendar-year basis.

No data are collected centrally on the number of convictions resulting from DNA.

Table 1: Number of selected offences recorded by the police, for selected years, England and Wales1

Offence group/offence

19772

19872

19972

2006-073, 5

Violence against the person

82,190

141,042

250,822

1,046,168

of which:

Homicide

482

688

739

759

Sexual Offences4

21,313

25,154

33,090

57,522

of which:

Rape

1,015

2,471

6,628

13,774

Robbery

13,730

32,633

63,072

101,376

Subtotal of offences

117,233

198,829

346,984

1,205,066

1. Recorded crime statistics were published on a calendar-year basis up until 1997 and thereafter on a financial year basis.

2. These data are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are therefore not directly comparable with those for later years.

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

4. The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

5. Includes data for British Transport Police from 2002-03.

Source: Home Office.

Table 2: Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for violent offences1 and selected offences, England and Wales 1977, 1987, 1997 and 20072.1

Offence group/offence

1977

1987

1997

2007

Violence against the person

38,700

47,868

34,562

41,951

of which:

Murder

115

166

275

369

Sexual Offences

6,204

6,231

4,523

5,075

of which:

Rape

313

425

618

873

Robbery

3,229

4,439

5,589

8,829

Total violent offences

48,133

58,538

44,674

55,855

1. Violent offences includes: violence against the person, sexual offences, and robbery.

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.

Source: Ministry of Justice.