Sir, In a recent press release, the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, claims a 17 per cent reduction in street crime, safe in the knowledge that only a few are informed enough to challenge such a meaningless claim.
The statistic is based on the “official” annual crime rate of 5,899,450. However, the Home Office British Crime Survey estimates it at 12.3 million. The highly respected Institute for the Study of Civil Society claims that the real crime rate is about 24.3 million.
Home Office Research Study 217, published in 2000, calculated the crime rate at a staggering 62,151,100.
Yours faithfully,
PETER COAD
(Director),
Criminal Justice Association,
20 Druid Woods,
Stoke Bishop, Bristol BS9 1SY.
August 4.