Violent crime – as it is recorded by the police – includes robbery, sexual offences and ‘Violence against the person’ offences, such as assault and murder. However, most recorded violent crime is low-level thuggery, while the UK has one of the lowest murder rates amongst the European Union, with London being below average for EU capital cities. Government Offices have an active role in the effort to continue bringing down the level of violent crime, which has fallen by 35 per cent since its peak in 1995.
More information on the national picture
In July 2007 the Home Office published a new
National Crime Strategy for 2008-11 and new
targets for improving community safety, including
Public Service Agreement 23 with which, it seeks to
reduce the most serious violent crimes, including serious sexual
offences and domestic violence, as a priority.
In February 2008, the National Audit Office published two
reports related to tackling violent crime.
In the same month the Home Office published
Saving Lives. Reducing Harm. Protecting the Public: An
action plan for tackling violence
2008-11. An
Implementation Guide to the Action Plan was
published in December 2008.
Reducing alcohol related harm is a key priority for the North East.
The Cardiff Violence Prevention Project and subsequent research report
demonstrated that hospital emergency departments can contribute
significantly to the prevention and management of community
violence.
The Cardiff research encourages police forces and community safety
partnerships to work closely with the local hospital emergency departments,
to develop mechanisms for collating and sharing relevant information. We
organised a two-day conference in October 2008 called Preventing Alcohol
Related Violence in the North East. This conference was attended by
representatives from the NHS, Public Health, police forces and community
safety partnerships. It raised the profile of the Cardiff model within the
region, and ensured a structured and coordinated approach to its
implementation.
In April 2009 we hosted a
violent crime conference which showcased a number of local
projects.
For more information and statistics on violent crime in your area go to
CrimeMapper.
