Violent offences rise by 12% but overall crime rate falls

Violent crime, excluding robberies and sex offences, has risen by 12% in the past year, according to new crime figures to be published today.

Toby Harris, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said the 12% rise in the national figures for violence against the person marked "a worrying national trend".

The category of violence against the person excludes robberies and sex attacks and accounts for about four-fifths of violent crime. Violent crime in turn accounts for about 15% of all crime recorded by the police.

But while most violent crime continues to rise the official figures will also show that the overall crime rate in England and Wales is falling and for the first time people's fear of crime has also started to drop.

Mr Harris said the recorded crime figures for London showed a 7% drop for April to June 2003, compared to the same quarter in 2002.

"In London domestic burglary has fallen by 8.6% year on year and auto crime by 14.8% over the same period. It is also encouraging that the British Crime Survey shows a real fall in the number of people worried about burglary, violent crime and car crime, although the national fall in the fear of crime has yet to have such a significant impact on Londoners."

The government's drive against anti-social behaviour launched this week is as much about trying to reduce the public's fear of crime as it is about tackling the low-level offences that are involved.

Home Office ministers are aware that the continuing rise in some kinds of violent crime sparks far more public concern than the reassurance provided by figures showing sharp falls in rates of burglary or car crime.

Ministers are expected to step up efforts to curb gun crime and highlight the new five-year mandatory sentence for carrying an illegal firearm.

Today's figures will mark the third year that the BCS and the police recorded crime figures have together shown crime falling in England and Wales.

The figures to be published today by the Home Office are the quarterly recorded crime figures for April-June 2003, and the results of the British Crime Survey, based on interviews with 40,000 people, for the year up to June 2003.