Continued rise in crimes putting pressure on police officers
Police Federation of England and Wales
Police Federation respond to the release of crime in England and Wales statistics
The latest national crime statistics paint a troubling picture, the Police Federation has warned.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has today published the latest figures from the Crime Survey for England Wales (CSEW).
Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “While these statistics show a decrease of 7 per cent in overall crime, one must drill down the numbers to see that the picture of crime in England and Wales is still one of trouble and concern.
“While better reporting by forces can account for some of the increase in figures, we do not want the public to have a rose-tinted view of the seriousness of crime that is occurring.
“That latest statistics further back-up our continuing claims that officers in England and Wales are facing ever-increasing workloads - this against a backdrop of fewer officers and ever-stretched budgets.
“The statistics show a shocking 27 per cent increase in ‘violence against the person’ offences, 11 per cent increase in homicide, and a 9 per cent rise in offences involving knives or sharp instruments. These are incredibly worrying figures.
“The statistics also only cover a small portion of the work officers do. For example: counter-terrorism, looking for missing persons, preventing child sexual exploitation and monitoring sex offenders are just four areas of work that the crime statistic don’t cover, but are of vital importance to the public we serve.
“There are some worrying increases here and we know that issues such as cyber-crime are vastly under reported. While police officers work tirelessly, and will always do their best to protect and serve the public, cuts do have consequences.”
