Violent crime up 37%

Violent crime soared by an astonishing 37 per cent in London last year, government figures show today.

The findings emerge from the annual British Crime Survey, endorsed by the Home Office as the most accurate measure-of crime rates. The rise it shows conflicts massively with Metropolitan Police figures for the same period showing only a two per cent increase in recorded crime - suggesting that a growing number of victims did not bother to report offences.

The capital's wave of violence ran counter to the picture in the rest of England, including the South-East. The Government hailed nationwide falls of three per cent in violent crime and five per cent overall as evidence that Labour was winning the fight on law and order.

But in London, muggings and snatch-thefts rose 28 per cent, wiping out the improvement made during the two-year Street Crime Initiative. "Stranger violence", in which victims did not know their attackers, rose by 39 per cent. "Acquaintance assaults" rose by an extraordinary 92 per cent. Only domestic violence declined, mirroring a nationwide trend.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We know that something like half of all recorded violent crimes involve alcohol. Clearly in London, which draws people in for nights out, that may be particularly relevant."

The British Crime Survey (BCS) is an opinion poll of more than 35,000 people, including 3,000 in London. Experts believe it gives the best picture of offending rates because it includes half of all crimes that are never reported to police.

About eight in 100 Londoners told researchers they were victims of violent crime between April last year and this April. Offences ranged from attempted murder and sexual assault to common assault and threats to kill, with most

at the less serious end of the spectrum.

Met chiefs admitted they were baffled by the sudden jump and urged the Home Office to look again at its counting method. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve House said: "Violent crime is too high and we are working hard to reduce it - but I don't recognise a 40 per cent increase in the past 12 months.

"We live and work in London and we get vibes. This is not what we have seen. We are genuinely perplexed."

Mark Field, Tory spokesman for London, said: "These shocking figures highlight our concern that violent crime is rising while other crime falls. They make a mockery of [Home Secretary] David Blunkett's oftrepeated claim to have got crime under control."

Other BCS findings included a fall in fear of crime and a drop in petty crimes like vandalism and graffiti.

On Monday, Mr Blunkett unveiled a target to cut crime by 15 per cent by 2008, based on the BCS figures. Today critics accused him of sleight-of-hand tactics after it emerged that last year's five per cent fall would be taken into account, leaving him with only 10 per cent to achieve. Tory shadow home secretary David Davis called the timing "astonishing".

Mr Blunkett described the five per cent headline reduction as "promising" and added: "We have been very successful in continuing to cut vehicle crime and burglary. We now need to focus more intently on low-level thuggery, anti-social behaviour and the sorts of alcohol-fuelled incidents that are recorded by police as violent crime."

The Home Office still maintains the last decade brought the longest sustained and steady drop in overall crime in a century.

Burglaries and car crime fell fastest, helped by improvements in home and vehicle security, but violence has remained stubbornly high.

Pub and club culture has been blamed, with regular 11pm disturbances in many town centres. About half of all assault victims say their attacker was drunk when the offence took place.

Police fear that extended pub opening hours to be introduced in the Licensing Bill, now going through Parliament, will make matters worse.