The latest report on crime from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has been published. The ONS collates data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) together with Police Recorded Crime (PRC) to give a picture of current trends in crime across the country.
The report usually comes with a mixed bag of good and bad news, as the levels of different crimes ebb and flow. The reports also provide longer term ongoing data and seasonal trends. For example crime rates in the autumn and winter months are generally higher, with November being traditionally the “worst” month.
Current trends in crime 2023
The latest data looks at the year ending June 2023 giving us current trends in crime. It tells us that police recorded crime was 4% higher than the previous year. PRC also shows theft has increased by 10% and robbery increased by 11%. The ONS comments that the increase in theft is driven by increased in theft offences against businesses. Recent reports highlight the increases in shop lifting and other crimes faced by retail businesses. Burglary figures remain almost unchanged around a quarter of a million incidents recorded by police in the designated period.
Whilst police recorded crime shows an increase for the year ending June 2023, CSEW shows a contrasting picture. It’s figures show a decrease in crime by 10%. This is driven by a drop of 13% in fraud. You might recall the huge increase in fraud seen during 2020 – 2021 as fraudsters took advantage of vulnerable people during pandemic induced lockdowns. Criminal damage has also decreased as we recover from a spike in arson, again attributed to scenarios created by the lock downs of 20/21.
The ONS warns that CSEW data has suffered a lower response rate and varying time periods. These data are estimates and ONS suggest the should be “interpreted with additional caution”. They have suspended their use as national data whilst they assess the quality of the information collected. Similarly police recorded crime has some inconsistencies as new offences are recorded and frequency of reporting of some types of crime is varies.
Home security current trends
Another recent report by ONS looks at property crime and the home security trends from April 2022 to March 2023. That data seems to reinforce the statement that physical security systems are an excellent deterrent. It shows that 3/4 of people who were burgled did not have CCTV installed. More than four in five people burgled did not have a burglar alarm. Notably there was a significant difference between attempted burglar and burglary with entry for those with an alarm installed. Twenty three per cent of people who suffered attempted burglary had an alarm. This means they did not gain entry. Perhaps they were scared away when the intruder alarm sounded? On the other hand only 15% of those who experienced burglary with entry had an alarm. It does raise the question of whether those alarms were armed.
Keybury Fire and Security are local security specialists, protecting homes and businesses across Yorkshire and Lancashire. For a free home security survey call us on 01535 661197 email sales@keybury.co.uk or book online.