United Kingdom
Victims of crime
Key points
Burglary
- There were around an estimated 730,000 burglaries in 2007/08. This is less than half the level of a decade ago.
- Lone parents and unemployed people are both twice as likely to be burgled as the average person.
- The burglary rate is almost twice as high in London as in other parts of the south of England.
Violent crime
- There were around an estimated 1.0 million violent incidents which resulted in injury in 2007/08. This is less than half the level of a decade ago.
- Lone parents, unemployed people and private renters are all around twice as likely to be the victims of violence as the average person.
- There is a similar incidence of violence crimes in all regions.
Worries about crime
- The proportion of people who are very worried about being the victim of crime is much lower than a decade ago: for burglary, around 12% compared with 19% a decade ago; for violent crime, around 15% compared with 25% a decade ago.
- This fall in the level of worry about crime is in line with the fall in the estimated prevalence of crime.
- People on low incomes, living in inner city areas, in bad health and social renting are all more likely to be very worried about being a victim of crime than people on average.
Perceptions about crime
- Throughout the last decade, many more people think that the local crime rate has been increasing than think that it has been decreasing: almost half think it has been increasing compared to only one in ten who think it has been decreasing.
- So, what people generally perceive the trends in crime as being (i.e. rising) is very different than the actual trends in crime (i.e. falling) as well as their worries about being a victim of crime (also falling).
Graph 1: Over time
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Graph 2: By household type
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Graph 3: By region
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Graph 4: Worries (over time)
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Graph 5: Worries (by type of person)
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Graph 6: Beliefs
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Why this indicator was originally chosen
Crime is the most commonly reported problem in people's neighbourhoods. In addition to the risk of crime being greater in certain types of area, some individuals and households are especially vulnerable to attack.
Two of the types of crime that people worry most about are burglary and violent crime.
Definitions and data sources
The first graph shows the number of burglaries and violent incidents with injury in each year shown.
The second graph shows how the risk of burglary and violent incidents varies for selected groups. To improve statistical reliability, the data is averaged for latest three years. Note that burglary is a crime against a household so the figures are presented as a proportion of households whereas violent crime is a crime against the individual so the figures are presented as a proportion of adults. This difference also restricts the number of groups for which data on both burglaries and violent crime exists. Finally, note that the 'unemployed' status for burglaries is where the household reference person is unemployed.
The third graph shows how the risk of burglary varies by region. To improve statistical reliability, the data is averaged for latest three years. Violent crimes are not shown on this graph because their prevalence is similar in all regions.
The fourth graph shows how the proportion of people who say they are very worried about being burgled or about being a victim of violent crime has changed over time. For burglary, this proportion is simply the proportion of respondents who said that they were very worried about having their home broken into and something stolen. For violent crime, the measure is based on a scale constructed from questions on worry about mugging, rape, physical attack by a stranger and racially motivated assault. For each of these four questions, a scale is used whereby 'very worried'=2, 'fairly worried'=1, 'not very worried'=0 and 'not at all worried'=0. The result of combining these questions is then a number between 0 and 8. A score of 4 or more is then entitled 'very worried' and a score of less than 4 is entitled 'not very worried'. Respondents who did not answer all four of the questions are excluded from the analysis.
The fifth graph shows how the proportion of people who say they are very worried about about being burgled or about being a victim of violent crime varies for selected types of respondent. To improve statistical reliability, the data is the average for latest three years.
The sixth graph shows, for each year shown, the proportion of people who believe that the local crime rate has increased/decreased over the previous two years.
The data source for all the graphs is the British Crime Survey (BCS). The data is for England and Wales (BCS only covers England and Wales).
In the period up to the year 2000, the BCS survey was undertaken every two years, in the even-numbered years. Whereas the views that people expressed applied to those years (e.g. in the fifth graph) the crimes that they report refer to the previous odd-numbered year (e.g. in the first graph). From 2001/02, BCS became an annual survey with the data on both views and crimes relating to the year of each survey.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: high. BCS is a well-established government survey, which is designed to be nationally representative.
External links
For a discussion of the links between crime, deprivation and social exclusion, see the crimeinfo website.
See the government's Reducing Burglary Initiative website, the Home Office Crime Reduction website, and the DCLG Neighbourhood Renewal website.
Relevant 2007 Public Service Agreements
Overall aim: Make communities safer
Lead department
Home Office.
Official national targets
None.
Other indicators of progress
Level of most serious violent crimes.
Level of serious acquisitive crimes.
Public confidence in local agencies involved in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.
Percentage of people perceiving anti-social behaviour as a problem.
Level of proven re-offending by young and adult offenders.
Level of serious re-offending.
Previous 2004 targets
Reduce crime by 15% and further in high crime areas by 2007/08.
Reassure the public, reducing the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour, and building confidence in the Criminal Justice System without compromising fairness.
Tackle social exclusion and deliver neighbourhood renewal, working with department to help them meet their PSA floor Official national targets, in particular narrowing the gap in health, education, crime, worklessness, housing and liveability outcomes between the most deprived areas and the rest of England, with measurable improvement by 2010.
Relevant government policies
The numbers
Graph 1
| Year | Millions of burglaries | Millions of violent incidents with injury |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.8M | 1.2M |
| 1983 | 0.9M | |
| 1987 | 1.2M | |
| 1991 | 1.4M | 1.4M |
| 1993 | 1.8M | |
| 1995 | 1.8M | 2.4M |
| 1997 | 1.6M | 2.2M |
| 1999 | 1.3M | 1.8M |
| 2001/02 | 1.0M | 1.5M |
| 2002/03 | 1.0M | 1.4M |
| 2003/04 | 0.9M | 1.4M |
| 2004/05 | 0.8M | 1.3M |
| 2005/06 | 0.7M | 1.2M |
| 2006/07 | 0.7M | 1.3M |
| 2007/08 | 0.7M | 1.0M |
Graph 2
| Group | Burglary | Violence |
|---|---|---|
| Average | 2% | 3% |
| Social renters | 4% | 5% |
| Private renters | 4% | 6% |
| Lone parents | 6% | 7% |
| Unemployed | 6% | 8% |
Graph 3
| Region | Three-year average |
|---|---|
| East | 2% |
| East Midlands | 3% |
| London | 4% |
| North East | 3% |
| North West | 4% |
| South East | 3% |
| South West | 2% |
| Wales | 3% |
| West Midlands | 3% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 4% |
Graph 4
| Year | Very worried about being burgled | Very worried about being the victim of violent crime |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19% | 25% |
| 2000 | 19% | 24% |
| 2001/02 | 15% | 22% |
| 2002/03 | 15% | 21% |
| 2003/04 | 13% | 16% |
| 2004/05 | 12% | 16% |
| 2005/06 | 13% | 17% |
| 2006/07 | 13% | 17% |
| 2007/08 | 12% | 15% |
Graph 5
| Group | Very worried about being burgled | Very worried about being the victim of violent crime |
|---|---|---|
| Average | 12% | 17% |
| Low income households (less than £10,000 pa) | 18% | 22% |
| Social renters | 20% | 26% |
| Inner city | 20% | 28% |
| Bad health | 20% | 12% |
Graph 6
| Year | Believe increasing | Believe decreasing |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 55% | 10% |
| 1998 | 46% | 17% |
| 2001 | 50% | 14% |
| 2001/02 | 51% | 10% |
| 2002/03 | 53% | 9% |
| 2003/04 | 49% | 10% |
| 2004/05 | 43% | 12% |
| 2005/06 | 42% | 12% |
| 2006/07 | 42% | 12% |
| 2007/08 | 39% | 12% |