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£23.96According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), individual and household crime in England and Wales has increased by 10% over the past year. The rise in crime has most notably been robbery, violence with injury, and fraud which have returned to pre-pandemic levels over this 12-month period. Shoplifting offenses have also hit a 20-year high, rising by 29%.
The ONS has highlighted that periods of Covid restrictions were included in the previous year up until June 2023, making it too soon to conclude whether this change represents a short-term fluctuation or the beginning of a new trend. The agency additionally noted that crime has generally decreased over the past decade.
Dame Diana Johnson, Minister for Crime, Policing, and Fire, stated that numerous towns have been adversely impacted by shoplifting, theft, violence, and snatch theft. Johnson pledged to enhance policing measures and toughen the law on shoplifting.
Overall, the latest ONS Crime Survey estimated that there were 9.2 million incidents of what is categorized as ‘headline crime’, which includes computer misuse, fraud, theft, violence with or without injury, criminal damage, and robbery. These offenses have increased by 10% altogether. Robbery saw around 139,000 incidents compared to 60,000 the previous year. Violence with injury rose from around 376,000 to an estimated 562,000 incidents. However, violence is currently two-thirds lower than that of the 1990s. Consumer and retail fraud also rose by 19%, totaling approximately 963,000 incidents.
Despite no significant change in sexual assault offenses last year, they have increased over the past decade, making it a notable exception to the decline in crime experienced by individuals in that period. Shoplifting offenses recorded by the police hit an all-time high since records began, with 469,788 offenses recorded in the year up to June 2024, compared to 365,173 the previous year. Additionally, theft from an individual increased by 20%. Among violent crimes, homicides fell by 3%, declining from 578 to 562. Whereas knife crime rose by 4% year-on-year, it remains 2% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
The ONS has cautioned that recently recorded crime figures are not deemed to be a reliable indicator of general crime trends; however, they are used to give insight into lower volume but higher harm offenses that have been reported to the police. The statistical agency has suggested that changes to recorded crime may be partly due to changes in police activity and recording practices
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