Alcohol Related Crime
In 1999, the British Crime Survey estimated there were approximately 1.2 million incidents of alcohol-related violence. In nearly half of all violent incidents in 2001/02, according to the British Crime Survey, victims believed offenders to be under the influence of alcohol, of which:
- 51 per cent were between acquaintances
- 58 per cent were between strangers
- 45 per cent were domestic assaults between partners, relatives or household members
- 19 per cent were muggings
The ‘Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England ‘ was published by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit in March 2004. The strategy contains measures to tackle the range of harm caused by alcohol misuse in England. For full details see the website of the Prime Ministers Strategy Unit.
Domestic Violence
Victims of domestic violence suffer on many levels - health, housing, education – and the Home Office is committed to tackling domestic violence on every front. Although it is chronically under-reported, research shows domestic violence:
- accounts for 16 per cent of all violent crime
- has more repeat victims than any other crime (on average there will be 35 assaults before a victim calls the police)
- claims the lives of two women each week
- costs in excess of £23 billion a year
The ‘Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill’ was published in December 2003, and aims to increase the protection, support and rights of victims and witnesses, in line with the ongoing reform of the Criminal Justice System. It followed the publication of ‘Safety & Justice’, a consultation paper published in June 2003. This set out proposals under the key headings of prevention, protection, justice and support. A summary of responses was published in November 2003.
The Government has invested £14 million over the next three years to tackle domestic violence, and established an informal Ministerial group to bring together interventions across Government.
The National help line - 0808 2000 247 – was Launched in December 2003. This 24-hour free phone joins together the existing help lines of Women’s Aid and Refuge to offer women and children access to emergency refuge accommodation, an information service, safety planning and translation facilities. Male Advice can be obtained by calling 0845 064 6800.
Gun Crime
In some areas, gun crime is a major cause of fear and distress. Most worrying is the rise in the number of young people carrying real or imitation firearms, either to boost their image, or from a misguided idea about self-protection. Some of this is linked to gang activity, which in turn is linked to the illegal drug trade. Contrary to public perception, the overall level of gun crime in this country is 0.5 percent of all crime recorded by the police – and in the year ending 31 March 2004, there was:
- a 15 per cent reduction in homicides involving firearms
- a 13 per cent reduction in robberies involving firearms
