Friday January 23,2009
Alison Little, Deputy Political Editor
BRITAIN is facing a “credit crunch crimewave” with a big rise in knife-point robberies, burglaries, and fraud.
As the country slips further into recession, figures yesterday revealed large increases in crimes with a financial motive.
Robberies at knife-point are up 18 per cent, domestic burglaries are up four per cent and fraud or forgery is up 16 per cent.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: “These statistics show yet another harsh consequence of Gordon Brown’s economic downturn.
“This is made worse because the Home Secretary clearly has no idea how to deal with this credit crunch crimewave.”
Jacqui Smith herself acknowledged the link to the financial downturn. The Home Secretary said: “There will be a small minority of criminals who think they can take advantage in tough times. Let me tell them now, they can’t and they won’t.”
The jump in financially motivated crime came as the same figures revealed a big rise in knife crimes.
More people died last year as a result of stabbings than at any time since records began.
The Tories accused the Government of complacency. Mr Grayling said: “It is particularly alarming that robberies involving knives have soared and that fatal stabbings are at an all-time high. The Government’s complacency in this area is proving fatal.”
Worryingly, the latest statistics for England and Wales do not even include the most serious violent crimes – such as murder and rape – because 18 police forces have been asked to do a recount after concern over how they record offences.
The Home Office figures show that robberies involving “knives or sharp instruments” were up 18 per cent between July and September last year, compared with the same period in 2007.
Fatal stabbings increased by 10 per cent to 270 in 2007-8, the highest since records began in 1977.
Homicides rose to 773 from 758 the previous year.
Domestic burglaries were up for the first time since 2002, by four per cent from 66,900 between July and September 2007 to 69,700 in the same period last year.
Other types of burglary were also up, by three per cent.
Drugs offences were nine per cent higher in July to September 2008 than in the same quarter the previous year and fraud and forgery increased by 16 per cent. Liberal Democrat spokesman Chris Huhne said: “There is now clear evidence of rising crime as the recession bites.”
He also questioned the effectiveness of the anti-knife crime campaign launched last June.
Mr Huhne said: “The Government has failed to effectively roll out the measures that we know work against knife crime.
“Posturing about penalties is no substitute for the hard graft of visible and intensive policing.”
The figures showed falls in some crimes, including sexual offences (down seven per cent); car crime (down six per cent); criminal damage (down eight per cent); and firearms offences (down 29 per cent).
Three per cent fewer overall crimes were recorded by police in July to September last year than in the same period in 2007, and overall violence against the person was down six per cent. Robberies fell three per cent overall.
The Tories said that under Labour, violent crime has risen nearly 80 per cent, fatal stabbings by a third and gun crime nearly doubled, while conviction and sentencing for knife possession is inadequate.
The Home Office yesterday also published the latest British Crime Survey, which is based on interviews with individuals rather than police records. It showed overall crime remained “stable” in the year to September 2008.
Ms Smith welcomed the falls in overall recorded violent crime, robbery, gun and vehicle crime. But she said there was more work to be done.
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