The latest version of the British Crime Survey has just been released! See our Personal Safety Factsheet section for the full copy. Here is the summary extract from the violent crime section:
FOCUS ON VIOLENT CRIME
Around half of violent crime involves no injury (47% of BCS violence and 53% of police recorded violence against the person).
The BCS shows that since 1995 there have been large falls in domestic and acquaintance violence while stranger violence has fluctuated from year to year. The number of muggings has remained stable.
Provisional data show the police recorded 648 incidents of homicide in 2008/09, the lowest recorded level in the last 20 years. The number of attempted murders also decreased from 621 in 2007/08 to 575 in 2008/09. Weapons were used in about one in five (21%) of BCS violent crimes (this figure has been stable over the past decade); knives were used in 7%, glasses or bottles in 5%, hitting implements in 4% and firearms in 1% of incidents. Between 2007/08 and 2008/09 BCS interviews, the use of knives and glasses or bottles has remained stable while the use of hitting implements has decreased.
The number of police recorded offences involving firearms fell by 17% between 2007/08 and 2008/09. Firearm offences resulting in injury also fell (down by 46% in 2008/09) due to a large reduction in the use of imitation weapons (down 41%) and a corresponding fall in slight injuries. There was a small rise in the use of shotguns and handguns (both up 2%).
There was a fall in the number of homicide offences involving a knife or other sharp instrument (down from 270 to 252) between 2007/08 and 2008/09 but a rise in the number of attempted murders involving a knife (up from 245 to 271 offences). Robbery offences involving knives decreased slightly (from 17,058 to 16,701) in the same period.
