Violent Crime Strategy Jackie Westlake Violent Crime Unit Home Office

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Violent Crime StrategyJackie WestlakeViolent
Crime UnitHome Office

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• Introduction
• Context
• Home Office Strategic Plan

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• What is Violent Crime
• Background
• Statistics
• British Crime Survey
• Police Recorded Statistics

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• Data
• Half of all violent incidents reported to the
  British Crime Survey did not result in any
  injury to the victim
• 39 of all BCS violent incidents were common
  assault with no injury
• 22 of all violent incidents were common assault
  with injury - ie minor injuries

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• More Data
• Harassment comprised 16 of recorded violence -
  no physical injury
• Wounding accounted for just under a quarter of
  BCS violence, compared with 41 of police
  recorded violence
• Young men aged 16-24 were most at risk of being a
  victim of violent crime

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• BCS subsets
• Domestic Violence
• Mugging
• Acquaintance Violence
• Stranger Violence

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• More detail
• Domestic Violence accounts for about 16 of
  violent crime - significant under-reporting
• Almost half of all offences are alcohol-related
• Half of all violence occurs in the street, pubs
  and clubs or on public transport

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• Key Trends
• Fall in the overall level of violent crime of
  around a quarter
• increase in the recorded level of more serious
  violence
• increase in recorded gun crime
• increasing tendency for young people to
  threaten/use force in committing property crime

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• Key Strategic Priorities
• Reduce volume violent crime
• Reduce violent crimes which contribute
  significantly to the fear of crime
• Identify and focus on more serious violent crimes
  which are important in terms of public
  perception, impact on victims and communities and
  have a disproportionate impact on social and
  economic costs

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• Volume Violent Crime
• Alcohol-fuelled violence
• Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy
• Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign
• Work over the next 2 years

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• Volume Violent Crime 2
• Domestic Violence
• Safety and Justice
• The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill
• Domestic Violence Courts
• Children affected by domestic violence

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• Volume Violent Crime 3
• Violent Anti-Social Behaviour
• Together Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Action
  Plan
• Funding for CDRPs to appoint an ASB Co-ordinator
• Taking A Stand Awards Plus awards
• Trailblazer areas to develop new ways to tackle
  some of the most difficult entrenched ASB
  problems

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• Violent Crime and Fear of Crime
• Gun Crime
• Change the attitude that guns are acceptable
• Change the factors that give rise to the
  acceptability of gun culture
• Work together with the police and other law
  enforcement agencies, government departments,
  local authorities, community groups and the
  voluntary sector

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• Violent Crime and Fear of Crime 2
• Sexual Offences
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Sexual
  Offending
• Services to Victims of Sexual Assaults
• SARCs
• National Helpline
• Proceeds of Crime
• Rape Action Plan

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• More serious violent crimes
• and public perceptions
• Hate Crime
• The adoption of a new definition of a racist
  incident by the CJS
• (CPS) report on Racist Incident Monitoring 2002/3
• Code of Practice on the reporting and recording
  of racist incidents
• A Racist Crime and Harassment Toolkit on the Home
  Office Crime Reduction website

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• Delivery
• CDRPs and strategies - the Government Offices
• Local Criminal Justice Boards
• Working with the drinks industry
• Primary Care Trusts
• Addressing gender issues, working with the DfES

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Next Steps