Alarm over huge rise in street crime and thefts

Muggings and robberies have risen by 28 per cent in the past year despite overall crime levels staying stable, official figures revealed yesterday.

Two surveys published by the Home Office – one from the police and one of the public – reveal how crime in Britain is changing, with some offences soaring and others falling.

Burglaries have increased for the first time since 1993 but there have been welcome drops in violent and sexual offences.

The total number of crimes recorded by the police has jumped by 7 per cent to 5.52 million, but new methods of counting mean that the real rise is only 2 per cent, according to the Home Office.

The British Crime Survey, a separate study of 33,000 members of the public, which is considered more accurate, shows that crime fell by 2 per cent in the 12 months to April, to just under 13 million.

The Home Office said the figures showed that the overall rate had stabilised after five years of falling crime. However, the Conservatives accused the Government of "statistical manipulation".

While the publication of two sets of conflicting reports is confusing, the overall figures reveal encouraging trends for the Government and police – but also an alarming rise in robberies being committed, largely, by drug addicts and youngsters stealing mobile phones.

Robbery was up 28 per cent to more than 121,000 incidents. This included a 31 per cent rise in robbery of personal property. Some 82 per cent of all robberies took place in just 10 police force areas, although this type of offence still accounts for only 2 per cent of all crime.

The Prime Minister has pledged to bring street crime under control by September after initiating a "cross-Government" action plan.

The Home Office said that initiatives run by the Metropolitan Police, which has to deal with 44 per cent of the country's robberies, were starting to have an impact on the crime spree. The 2 per cent rise in overall recorded crime is the second increase in the total number of offences in the past seven years. Under the new counting system, crimes such as vandalism and minor assaults, which used to go unrecorded, are now included.

Using the adjusted figures, recorded offences involving violence dropped by about 5 per cent. Murders were up 4 per cent, attempted murders up 21 per cent. The total number of sexual offences declined by about 8 per cent under the adjusted system. This includes, however, a 14 per cent rise in reported rapes of women and an 11 per cent rise in reported rapes of men.

Burglary was up by about 5 per cent. There were also slight rises in vehicle offences. The second report, the British Crime Survey, showed that crime was down 22 per cent since 1997 and by 14 per cent in the past two years.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said: "The statistics indicate the overall crime levels were stable last year. The crimes that affect most people, burglary and vehicle crime, remain at the lower levels seen after the significant reductions in recent years.

"While most crime continues to fall or remain at lower levels, I am concerned about the significant rise that we have seen in robbery offences."

Oliver Letwin, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "No amount of statistical manipulation can conceal what everyone on the estates in our inner cities already knows – that it is the gangs and the drug dealers rather than the forces of law and order that are in charge."

Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "Levels of crime may be stable but they are still far too high. Only sensible, long-term policies will bring further reductions."