Capital of violent crime

Londoners stand a one in 10 chance of being robbed or attacked - the highest risk in the country, according to official figures published today.

And the chance police will catch the criminal responsible is worse in London than in any other part of the country, as Scotland Yard has the lowest detection rates.

The figures are revealed in the Home Office's annual report on crime for 2002/03. They show that across England and Wales violent crime increased by more than 20 per cent on the previous year, and female rape rose 27 per cent.

Other categories that registered alarming increases included child abductions, up 45 per cent, deaths caused by joyriders, up 57 per cent, and assault on police officers, which rose 12 per cent.

Drug crimes increased by 16 per cent nationally - in London the figure was up by a quarter, with the vast majority of arrests for possession.

But the figures also show street crime, including muggings and bag snatches - which spiralled out of control in 2001/02 - is being brought back under control, especially in London, where some boroughs have recorded falls of as much as a quarter.

And there was a decline in the number of incidents of domestic violence, car theft and arson.

However, the report was surrounded by controversy over the way the figures were compiled. This year, for the first time, every police force has recorded crimes in the same way using the new National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) - from which the figures, listed opposite, are taken.

The Home Office report also contains findings from the British Crime Survey (BCS), a poll of 40,000 people in England and Wales about their experience of crime. But, while the NCRS revealed a seven per cent rise in recorded crime compared with last year, the BCS research appears to show crime fell by two per cent.

Home Secretary David Blunkett seized on the BCS findings to claim crime is down. He said: "I am encouraged by the figures which show overall crime is continuing to fall and the risk of being a victim has fallen from 40 per cent in 1995 to 27 per cent - its lowest level for more than 20 years."

The BCS also found that the violent crime rate remained stable. But Mr Blunkett's own officials admitted that, under the new NCRS method, violent offences increased 28 per cent to 835,101.

And the most serious types of violence - such as threat or conspiracy to murder, wounding, and causing death by dangerous or careless driving - also increased.

Home Office statistics director Professor Paul Wiles said: "There seems to be a trend in increase in stranger violence - that's something we will want to look at."

Shadow Home Secretary Oliver Letwin said: "The figures are so confusing that it is hard to make sense of them. However, they cannot disguise the fact that crimes of violence remain a huge problem.

"This will come as no surprise to the millions of people who suffer daily from crime, or the fear of crime, much of it drugrelated."

London has the lowest crime detection rate in England, with just 14 per cent of crimes being cleared up - and only nine per cent resulting in a suspect appearing in court. Nobody has been caught for 87 per cent of robberies in the capital in the past year.

Nationally, the detection rate is 24 per cent, unchanged from the previous year, with 14 per cent of crimes resulting in a court appearance.

Last year the Metropolitan Police had the joint lowest detection rate with Avon and Somerset, but this year the West Country force pulled ahead.

The BCS findings show Londoners stand a 10 per cent chance of being a victim of a "personal crime", such as common assault, street robbery or violence, compared to a seven per cent chance for the rest of the country.

And people living in the capital have a 21 per cent chance of being the victim of a "household crime", such as theft, burglary or criminal damage - the same as the national average.

The BCS also found that only four per cent of people believed crime was falling nationally - but nine per cent thought it was falling in their area.

And concern at anti-social behaviour rose, with increasing numbers of people worried about rubbish, graffiti, teenagers hanging around, and the presence of drug users and dealers.