Image

Crime rates fall as fraud rates go up in the 12 months since pandemic began

Crime rates fall as fraud rates go up in the 12 months since pandemic began

Latest crime figures for England and Wales indicate a fall of 28% in the number of victims of violence during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the Office of National Statistics have shared that there was a rise of 36% in fraud and computer misuse offences in the past 12 months.

Overall, people’s experiences of crime remained relatively flat compared to last year’s figures.

Police-recorded crime fell 10% year-on-year, with substantial falls during periods of lockdown, while the number of homicides fell by 16% to 600 offences, the lowest figure for four years.

There was also a 14% fall in recorded firearm offences and a 15% drop in crimes involving knives.

Recorded sexual offences fell 9% – but sadly domestic violence incidents reported to police increased by 6%.

According to the ONS, improvements to police recording make it impossible to conclude whether there has been an increase in domestic abuse victims during the pandemic.

As the crime survey was carried out by phone rather than face-to-face, direct comparisons are more difficult. However, the figures suggest a 15% fall in violence and a 20% reduction in theft cases.

According to survey data, the number of fraud offences increased by 24% in 2020/21 compared to the previous year. Only a quarter of these cases resulted in any loss of money or property.

Computer misuse offences went up 85% year-in-year. The ONS suggests the increase in online shopping and other activity may have fuelled the rise.

Contact Gi National
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk

editor
Ellie joined Gi Media in July 2021.