Sharp rise in rape cases overshadows fall in crime rate

An unexplained 27% rise in female rape cases last year cast a shadow today over the publication of Home Office figures that reveal the crime rate in England and Wales held broadly stable in 2002-3.

The annual publication of the police recorded crime figures, together with the more authoritative British Crime Survey, suggest that the fall in crime recorded since 1995 has slowed down and may be coming to an end.

The BCS, which is based on interviews with 40,000 people about their experience of crime, suggests that the overall crime rate fell by 2%, while police-recorded crime dropped by 3% once adjustments are made for changes in recording practices.

But the slight fall in overall crime was masked by the unexplained rise in female rape from 8,990 cases to 11,441. The rise may be due to increased reporting by victims.

There was also a separate 8% rise in "stranger violence" - assaults and woundings by people unknown to the victims.

Professor Paul Wiles, the Home Office research director, said that there has been a long-running campaign to encourage rape victims to come forward and report it to the police: "I can't say that 'x' per cent of that is part of this. We don't know."

Ruth Hall of Women Against Rape said it was impossible to know what had caused last year's steep increase. "But we would not say it was down to increased confidence in the police.

"It is much more likely to reflect that more and more women are determined to go ahead [in reporting rape], despite what they know about the police and the crown prosecution service refusing to bring the case."

Police figures on violent crime - adjusted for changes in recording practices - show a 2% rise in the last financial year with rises in child abduction and child cruelty cases, indecent assaults and gun possession.

Drug crime, particulary possession of drugs, rose by 16%, although robbery was down by 11%.

The home secretary, David Blunkett, said he was encouraged by the figures showing overall crime continuing to fall and that car crime and burglary were now at historically low levels.

But the shadow home secretary, Oliver Letwin, said the rise in violent crime was extremely worrying and showed that the government was making no headway in tackling disorder.

"Sadly the figures will come as no surprise to the millions of people up and down the country who suffer daily from crime, or the fear of crime, much of it drug related," Mr Letwin said.

The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Simon Hughes, said: "Muddying the waters about the way these figures are recorded will not reassure the public. The fact is there is still a huge amount to be done to tackle serious violent and sexual offences.

"A history of under-report ing means that the public has been kept in the dark about the true level of crime."

He added: "It cannot be acceptable that 11,441 women were raped last year. It cannot be acceptable that there were 1,048 homicides. It cannot be acceptable that there were 141,116 drugs offences last year."