Violent crime soars

Figures showing a surge in recorded violent crime threw Labour onto the defensive today.

Year-end figures published by the Home Office showed that while overall crime fell last year, violence reported to police was up sharply.

Metropolitan Police figures showed recorded violence in London up about 10 per cent in 2004-5, with a similar rise in sex crime. Robberies, burglaries and total recorded offences were all down.

The findings fuelled concern over binge drinking and yob culture. They forced Labour into a new commitment to tackle the problem. Home Secretary Charles Clarke pledged: "We will reduce violent crime so that a year from now, there will be fewer violent crimes."

But ministers also insisted that the apparent increase in violence is due to changes in the way crime is recorded. Labour pointed to evidence

from the British Crime Survey (BCS), a giant opinion poll, that violent crime has actually declined.

Tony Blair issued a 10-point lawand-order plan and repeated his promise to cut crime by 15 per cent by 2008.

The Met risked charges of political interference by publishing a report by criminologist Professor Mike Hough, which claims that London's rate of violent crime has actually fallen since 1997.

Professor Hough told the Standard: "Police statistics in the Met show a rise in violent crime since 1997.

"But this is almost certainly an artificial rise, caused by large changes in the way the police record crime. The BCS is a better guide to crime trends in London and, according to that, violent crime in London fell in the five years from 1997 - though there are now some signs that the trend is reversing."

Today's crime figures, scheduled long in advance, could embarrass Labour so close to an election. So Home Office civil servants, Scotland Yard and the Association of Chief Police Officers all restricted their public comments for fear of being drawn into a political row.

The headline figure for violent crime covers everything from murder to minor assault and threat, with most offences of the less serious kind. Half of all "violent crimes" result in no injury. Many go unreported, often when the victim was drunk or fought back.

Mr Clarke has admitted more must be done to tackle late-night, drink-fuelled violence. The Tories claim that Labour's move to extend pub opening hours will make matters worse.

Labour's 2008 target for crime cuts was agreed with the Treasury last summer. Its 10-point plan includes:

All three parties are promising extra police if they win the election. Labour has already boosted the Met's strength by almost 4,000 officers and the force now records a million crimes a year - up by 22 per cent since 1997.

But two major sets of changes to the counting system, in 1998 and 2002, make comparisons almost impossible.

When the last crime figures were published three months ago, police figures showed violence up six per cent whereas the BCS suggested it had fallen by nine per cent.

Total crime recorded by forces in England and Wales was down six per cent in the period from July to September last year.

The force has maintained an annual detection rate of 36 per cent.