18/10/2007 00:00:00
UK: Drug offences rise by 14%
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The number of drug offences police recorded in England and Wales in the
second quarter of 2007 rose by 14 per cent, the Home Office has said.
Their figures showed there were 55,000 drug crimes from April to June, a
rise from 48,300 in the same period in 2006.
Overall recorded crime levels fell 7 per cent to just under 1,300,000
offences
The Home Office said the rise in drugs offences "coincided with
increases in the police use of powers to issue cannabis warnings".
However overall recorded crime levels fell 7 per cent to just under
1,300,000 offences.
Recorded levels of violent crime were down 8 per cent overall, including
a 14 per cent drop in most serious violence.
The separate British Crime Survey (BCS), which ministers regard as the
most accurate reflection of crime levels, showed a 1 per cent rise in
violent crime.
This includes a 2 per cent rise in offences causing injury, but the Home
Office said these increases were not statistically significant.
The BCS estimated there were 11,022,000 crimes in the year to the end of
June - which was stable on the previous 12 months.
In the recorded crime figures, robbery showed a 9 per cent fall, sexual
offences also dropped 9 per cent and criminal damage dropped by 10 per cent.
Firearms offences fell 6 per cent in the year to the end of June, to a
provisional 9,712 incidents.
The research showed that public confidence in the criminal justice
system has fallen across the board.
In all seven categories - including whether the system is effective at
bringing offenders to justice, reducing crime and meeting the needs of
victims - satisfaction among interviewees showed a decline.
http://itn.co.uk/news/e3c1eb02eaff8f8cdc78854abefe9dd7.html
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12918
Author:
ITN News via UKCIA
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