# Home Office Statistical Bulletin

 
 
Statistical Bulletins are prepared by staff in Home Office Statistics under the National Statistics Code of 

# Crimes Detected In England And Wales 2011/12

Practice and can be downloaded from both the UK Statistics Authority 

# (First Edition)

website and the Home Office website:  
Paul Taylor and Steve Bond (Editor) 
http://www.statistics.gov.uk  

# July 2012 Hosb: 08/12

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/scienceresearch 
© Crown Copyright 2012 You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit  
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o pen-government-licence/  
or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London, TW9 4DU or e-mail:  
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov ISSN 1759 7005 ISBN 978-1-84987-916-3 
 

## Crimes Detected In England And Wales 2011/12

Paul Taylor and Steve Bond (Editor) 
 
ISSN 1759 7005 ISBN 978-1-84987-916-3 July 2012 

## Acknowledgements

This publication and the accompanying web tables have been prepared by staff in the Crime Statistics Programme, which is part of the Home Office Statistics Unit in Home Office Science.  
The author is grateful for the assistance of Sophie Riley and Paul Robb in the Home Office Statistics Unit. Special thanks are due to Jabeen Paracha who coordinated the production of the volume. Thanks also to colleagues who commented on a draft report during quality assurance of this bulletin and to colleagues in the Communications Development Section who assisted in preparing the report. The author would also like to thank Damon Wingfield in the Home Office Statistics Unit and David Blunt, the Home Office Chief Statistician and Head of Profession for Statistics for their support and guidance during the preparation of this report. 

Additionally, the author would also like to thank staff in the Policing Data Collection Section in the Home Office and the crime registrars and statistical staff in the police forces of England and Wales. 

## Further Information

Copies of other Home Office publications (including crime statistics releases prior to April 2012) are available from the Home Office Science Internet pages: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/ Copies of crime statistics publications from April 2012 are available from the Office for National Statistics website: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+and+Justice This includes the User Guide to Crime Statistics, a useful reference guide with explanatory notes regarding the issues and classifications that are key to the production and presentation of the crime statistics. The dates of forthcoming publications are pre-announced and can be found via the UK National Statistics Publication Hub: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html For further information about police recorded crime statistics, please email: 
crimestats@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk or write to: Home Office Statistics, 5th Floor, Peel Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF 
Home Office Responsible Statistician David Blunt, Chief Statistician and Head of Profession for Statistics Contact via crimestats@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics: meet identified user needs; are well explained and readily accessible; are produced according to sound methods; and are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest. Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed. This statistical bulletin is produced to the highest professional standards and is free from political interference. It has been produced by statisticians working in the Home Office Statistics Unit in accordance with the Home Office's Statement of Compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, which covers our policy on revisions and other matters. The Home Office Statistics Unit works under the direct line management of the Home Office Chief Statistician, who reports to the National Statistician with respect to all professional statistical matters.. 

## List Of Figures

| Figure 2.1    | Sanction detection rates by offence group, England and Wales, 2011/12    |
|---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Figure 2.2    | Detection rates in England and Wales, 1988 to 2011/12 13                 |
| Figure 2.3    | Detection rates by method, England and Wales, 2002/03 to 2011/12 14      |

## List Of Tables

| Table 2a                                                              | Number of detections and detection rate by offence group, 2010/11 and         |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2011/12 11                                                            |                                                                               |
| Table 2b                                                              | Offences detected by offence group and method, 2011/12 12                     |
| Table 1                                                               | Sanction detection rates by individual offence, 2010/11 and 2011/12 16        |
| Table 2                                                               | Sanction detection rates by offence group and selected offence types, 2002/03 |
| to 2011/12 and percentage point change between 2010/11 and 2011/12 21 |                                                                               |
| Table 3                                                               | Number of detections and detection rates by method of detection, 2002/03 to   |
| 2011/12 22                                                            |                                                                               |
| Table 4                                                               | Detections by offence group and method of detection, 2006/07 to 2011/12       |

## 1 Introduction

This bulletin reports on the levels and trends in detections and detection rates recorded by the 43 police forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police. The bulletin focuses on detections where the offender receives some formal sanction such as being charged or summonsed, cautioned, reprimanded or given a final warning. Sanction detections also include Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs), warnings for cannabis possession and offences that are asked to be taken into consideration by a court (TICs). The bulletin also includes data on non-sanction detections. 'Non-sanction detections' comprise those where the offence is counted as cleared up but either no further action was taken against the offender or the matter has been resolved by the use of a locally based community resolution or the application of Restorative Justice (RJ) techniques (see Notes for further information). 

In January 2011, the Home Secretary invited the National Statistician to conduct an independent Review of Crime Statistics for England and Wales. The National Statistician's report was published on 
6 June 2011 and can be accessed here: 
http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistician/ns-reports--reviews-and-guidance/nationalstatistician-s-reviews/national-statistician-s-review-of-crime-statistics.html The Home Secretary accepted the recommendation to transfer responsibility for the publication of crime statistics for England and Wales to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). That transfer took effect in April 2012.  However, the Home Office Statistics Unit continues to be responsible for publishing statistics on other aspects of police activity including detections, arrests and other powers.  
Detailed figures of crimes recorded by the police are published separately by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in *Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly First Release to March 2012*, a copy of which is available at: 
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+in+England+and+Wales 
 
Recorded crime statistics provide important context to detections figures, and are quoted where relevant in this bulletin. 

## 2 Detections 2.1 Summary

 
There were 3,976,312 offences recorded by the police in 2011/12 and 1,075,927 offences 
detected by means of a sanction detection. There were an additional 54,183 crimes detected by means of a non-sanction detection. The overall detection rate (i.e. the number of detections divided by the number of crimes) was 28 per cent in 2011/12. The overall sanction detection rate was 27 per cent. 
 
The number of sanction detections fell by seven per cent between 2010/11 and 2011/12.  The 
number of recorded crimes fell by four per cent in the same period.  
 
The sanction detection rate rose between 2002/03 and 2007/08 and then remained steady at 28 
per cent between 2008/09 and 2010/11 before falling to 27 per cent in 2011/12. 
 
As in previous years, there is a wide variation in sanction detection rates for different types of 
crime, with the highest detection rate of 92 per cent for drug offences and the lowest rate of 11 per cent for offences against vehicles. 
 
Sanction detection rates showed little change for most offence groups between 2010/11 and 
2011/12. The exceptions were falls of two percentage points in fraud and forgery and one percentage point in violence against the person, other theft offences, drug offences and other offences. 
 
There were falls in all the methods of sanction detection between 2010/11 and 2011/12.  The 
number of offences detected by means of a charge or summons fell by four per cent. There were also substantial falls in the number of offences detected by other methods with cautions and offences taken into consideration down 11 per cent and Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) down 14 per cent. 

## 2.2 Introduction

Statistics on crimes recorded by the police that appear in the national crime statistics are based on notifiable offences. These offences include all offences that could possibly be tried by jury (these include some less serious offences, such as minor theft, that would not normally be dealt with in this way) plus a few closely related offences, such as assault without injury. For a list of all notifiable offences see Appendix 2 of the ONS User Guide which can be found under the Guidance and Methodology section: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+in+England+and+Wales Detected crime is a term that describes notifiable offences that have been 'cleared up' by the police. Detections can be divided into two categories: sanction and non-sanction detections. The former occurs where the offender receives some formal sanction and the latter occurs in certain circumstances where the offence was cleared up but either no further action is taken against an offender, for example, where the alleged offender has died, or in certain cases the offence was cleared up by the use of a form of locally based community resolution (see Notes for further information). From April 2011 the Home Office has been receiving data (supplied on a voluntary basis by 22 police forces) on crimes 'cleared up' by the application of locally based community resolutions or by the application of Restorative Justice (RJ) techniques. RJ is a more formal course of action administered by trained practitioners whereas less formal community-based resolutions are where the offender has made an admission and the victim is satisfied that such a resolution may be used. This may amount to an apology to the victim or agreement to carry out some activity such as repairing damage caused. The 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police provide the Home Office with aggregate returns on the number of notifiable crimes and number of detections they have recorded each year. It is not possible to link individual detections to individual crimes from these records. The detection rates described in this bulletin are the number of offences recorded as detected in a given year as a proportion of the total number of crimes recorded in the same period.  The percentage point changes in detection rates shown in this bulletin are based on unrounded figures.  
Detection rates are not a direct measure of police investigative performance and need to be interpreted with care. For example, some of the offences with the highest detection rates are the offences most influenced, in terms of their recorded numbers, by proactive policing to apprehend offenders (for example, drug offences and many of the offences in the 'other offences' category). This means that overall detection rates can be influenced by the extent to which police prioritise action against different types of offending. There may also be circumstances in which a crime may be considered 'solved' but in which a detection is not claimed - for example, where the police are satisfied that they have identified an offender but the victim is unwilling to cooperate further in an investigation or does not wish for formal action to be taken. 

## 2.3 Detection Numbers And Rates

In 2011/12, 3,976,312 offences were recorded by the police with 1,075,927 of these offences detected by a sanction detection. Additionally, 54,183 crimes were detected by a non-sanction detection. The sanction detection rate in 2011/12 was 27 per cent, one percentage point lower than the previous year. The overall number of offences recorded by the police fell by four per cent between 2010/11 and 2011/12 while the fall in the total number of sanction detections was seven per cent (Table 2a). Similar to previous years, the two most commonly used methods of detection were charge or summons (16% sanction detection rate) and cautions (5% sanction detection rate) (Table 2b). The number of offences detected by charge or summons was down by four per cent on the previous year although the contribution to the overall detection rate remained the same. The number of cautions was down by 11 per cent and its contribution to the sanction detection rate was down by 0.4 percentage points (Table 3). The method of disposal showing the largest percentage fall between 2010/11 and 2011/12 was PNDs (down 14% with a 0.2 percentage point decrease in its contribution to the detection rate). Offences detected by means of Cannabis Warning fell by three per cent (no change in the contribution to the detection rate) (Table 3).  
There have been changes in the use of Cannabis Warnings since the introduction of police powers to issue PNDs for cannabis possession came into effect on 26 January 2009. There were 1,037 PNDs issued for drug offences in 2008/09 compared with 15,930 in 2011/12. Over the same period, Cannabis Warnings fell from 107,241 in 2008/09 to 77,914 in 2011/12. Possession of cannabis and other drug offences generally only come to light as a result of police activity and the detection rate for drug offences is always high (ranging between 92% and 95% in the last five years) (Table 4). The number of non-sanction detections account for fewer than five per cent of all detections in 2011/12. There has been a marked rise in the number of recorded non-sanction detections since 2007/08, accounted for by special arrangements that allow eight forces piloting Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) to record them under this category. Additionally, since April 2011, 22 forces have been returning local community-based resolutions and Restorative Justice outcomes on a voluntary basis.  The combination of these two factors has seen the number of non-sanction detections rise from 2,906 in 2008/09 to 54,183 in 2011/12. The overall detection rate rose by 0.4 of a percentage point between 2010/11 and 2011/12 (Table 3).  

## 2.4 Detection Rates By Offence Group

The pattern of variation in detection rates by offence group was consistent with previous years. Within the various offence groups, the detection rate remained highest for drug offences. This reflects the fact that in a high proportion of these cases the offence only comes to light when the police apprehend an offender. In addition, it is reasonably simple to clear up a crime of cannabis possession (the largest category of drug offence) by issuing a Cannabis Warning to the offender, which may be done immediately without requiring a visit to a police station. In contrast, detection rates are lower for crimes such as offences against vehicles, where the offence generally only comes to light some time after it has been committed and the offender/s have left the scene. Such offences are more challenging to detect and these factors should be kept in mind when comparing differences in rates between offence groups. The sanction detection rates for each of the main offence groups in 2011/12 can be seen in Figure 2.1.  

England and Wales, Recorded crime 
2010/11
2011/12
%                 
2010/11
2011/12
%          
change
change 
2010/11
2011/12
% point change
     Number of offences
Number of sanction detections
      Sanction detection rate (%)
Violence against the person 
821,939
762,515
-7.2
365,358
331,725
-9.2
44.5
43.5
-0.9
Sexual offences
54,919
53,665
-2.3
16,463
16,124
-2.1
30.0
30.0
0.1
Robbery
76,189
74,690
-2.0
15,681
15,427
-1.6
20.6
20.7
0.1
Burglary
522,683
501,053
-4.1
69,362
64,988
-6.3
13.3
13.0
-0.3
Offences against vehicles
449,616
417,444
-7.2
49,755
44,864
-9.8
11.1
10.7
-0.3
Other theft offences
1,078,679
1,105,117
2.5
241,967
233,984
-3.3
22.4
21.2
-1.3
Fraud and forgery
145,913
141,241
-3.2
34,596
30,996
-10.4
23.7
21.9
-1.8
Criminal damage
701,000
631,221
-10.0
96,228
85,193
-11.5
13.7
13.5
-0.2
Drug offences
232,922
229,103
-1.6
217,274
211,513
-2.7
93.3
92.3
-1.0
Other offences
67,055
60,263
-10.1
46,336
41,113
-11.3
69.1
68.2
-0.9
Total
4,150,915
3,976,312
-4.2
1,153,020
1,075,927
-6.7
27.8
27.1
-0.7
                          

In all of the offence groups (except drug offences), the greatest proportion of offences detected was by means of a charge or summons. A large number of drug offences are detected by means of a Cannabis Warning, which can be issued to the offender immediately (although the number detected by this method was only slightly higher than the number of charges and summons for drug offences). 

Detections where an offender asks for offences to be taken into consideration are most prominent in burglaries and offences against vehicles. An offence is deemed to be taken into consideration if the offender admits the crime and asks for it to be taken into consideration by a court (TIC) and where there is additional verifiable information linking that offender to the crime. As previously discussed, the large volume of non-sanction detection rates is as a result of 22 police forces submitting, on a voluntary basis, Restorative Justice and community resolution disposals (Table 2b).  

England and Wales, Recorded crime
Offence group
Total 
Total        
Charge/     
Cautions
TICs1
PNDs2
Cannabis 
Non-sanction 
recorded 
sanction      
summons
Warnings
detections3 4
crime
detections
                    Number of detections
Violence against the person
762,515
331,725
225,203
86,161
152
20,209
n/a
21,705
Sexual offences
53,665
16,124
13,817
2,210
82
15
n/a
290
Robbery
74,690
15,427
14,548
283
596
0
n/a
56
Burglary
501,053
64,988
37,465
3,087
24,419
17
n/a
472
Offences against vehicles
417,444
44,864
22,518
2,902
19,431
13
n/a
416
Other theft offences
1,105,117
233,984
148,522
38,509
14,371
32,582
n/a
18,372
Fraud and forgery
141,241
30,996
21,342
5,745
3,835
74
n/a
2,540
Criminal damage
631,221
85,193
54,088
23,454
2,893
4,758
n/a
9,574
Drug offences
229,103
211,513
76,172
41,383
114
15,930
77,914
321
Other offences
60,263
41,113
34,807
6,030
67
209
n/a
437
Total
3,976,312
1,075,927
648,482
209,764
65,960
73,807
77,914
54,183
                    Detection rate (%)
Violence against the person
43.5
29.5
11.3
0.0
2.7
n/a
2.8
Sexual offences
30.0
25.7
4.1
0.2
0.0
n/a
0.5
Robbery
20.7
19.5
0.4
0.8
0.0
n/a
0.1
Burglary
13.0
7.5
0.6
4.9
0.0
n/a
0.1
Offences against vehicles
10.7
5.4
0.7
4.7
0.0
n/a
0.1
Other theft offences
21.2
13.4
3.5
1.3
2.9
n/a
1.7
Fraud and forgery
21.9
15.1
4.1
2.7
0.1
n/a
1.8
Criminal damage
13.5
8.6
3.7
0.5
0.8
n/a
1.5
Drug offences
92.3
33.2
18.1
0.0
7.0
34.0
0.1
Other offences
68.2
57.8
10.0
0.1
0.3
n/a
0.7
Total
27.1
16.3
5.3
1.7
1.9
2.0
1.4

1.  Offences asked to be taken into consideration by a court. 2.  Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs). 3.  Includes data on Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) submitted to the Home Office as non-sanction detections from pilots in eight police force areas (Avon and Somerset, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Metropolitan, Norfolk, North Wales and Nottinghamshire). 4.  Includes Restorative Justice and community resolution data submitted on a voluntary basis by 22 forces in 2011/12. n/a  Not applicable. 

## 2.5 Trends Over Time

Figure 2.2 shows the overall detection rate since 1988 and the sanction detection rate since 2002/03. 

Detection rates fell in the period between 1988 and 1993. In 1998/99, the recorded crime series was extended and the Home Office Counting Rules amended. In addition, in 1999/00, further guidance was issued which tightened the circumstances in which a detection could be claimed. All of these changes led to a decline in detection rates.  
Sanction detections are currently the preferred measure of detections, with these disposals being limited to circumstances in which some form of sanction is taken against an offender. Following the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002, sanction detection rates remained stable between 2002/03 and 2003/04. The rates then rose in successive years between 2004/05 and 2007/08 with an increase of two to three percentage points per year before levelling off between 2007/08 and 2010/11.  There was then a fall of one percentage point in 2011/12 to 27 per cent (Figure 2.2, Table 2). Table 2 presents trend information by offence group. Key findings include the following:  

 Comparing 2002/03 with 2011/12, the overall sanction detection rate has risen from 19 
per cent to 27 per cent. The rate rose between 2002/03 and 2007/08 and then remained steady at 28 per cent between 2008/09 and 2010/11 before falling to 27 per cent in 2011/12. 
 The biggest difference in sanction detection rates between 2002/03 and 2011/12 was for 
violence against the person. The rate in 2002/03 was 36 per cent and peaked at 49 per cent in 2007/08 before falling back to 44 per cent in subsequent years (Table 2). The rise can partly be accounted for by the national introduction of PNDs in 2004/05. At the time of peak usage of PNDs in 2006/07 and 2007/08, these disposals made a seven percentage point contribution to the overall detection rate for violence against the person (Table 4).  
 Detection rates for drugs and 'Other offences' have remained relatively high since 
2002/03. This reflects the fact that many of these offences only come to light as a result of an offender being apprehended. 
Compared with 2002/03, sanction detection rates were higher in 2011/12 for all the main offence groups with the exception of sexual offences and 'Other offences' (down by two percentage points) and fraud and forgery (down by one percentage point). The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definitions of sexual offences and may have influenced the detection rate. Within sexual offences, sanction detection rates for the rape of a female were down seven percentage points when comparing 2002/03 with 2011/12. Rape offences are known to be under-reported and steps are being taken to encourage more victims to report offences. Additionally, in recent years forces have reported taking some additional steps to improve their recording of rape and other sexual offences. 

## 2.6 Trends In Methods Of Detection

Figure 2.3 shows the shift away from non-sanction detections as a result of the new rules in 2007/08, which limited the occasions for which such disposals could be applied. Several forces had already made the decision to move away from non-sanction detections even prior to the formal change in rules. The largest proportion of disposal method by sanction detection is accounted for by a charge or summons followed by cautions. The chart also illustrates the increase in the issuing of PNDs and Cannabis Warnings since their introduction nationally in 2004/05; although both of these methods have shown decreases in recent years (see Table 3 for further detail). The proportion of offences detected by charge or summons in 2011/12 was 16 per cent compared with 13 per cent in 2002/03, while the detection rate for cautions was five per cent in 2011/12 compared with four per cent in 2002/03. The shift in the use of non-sanction detection is also illustrated (from a 
5% detection rate in 2002/03 to less than 0.1% in 2007/08 and then rising to 1.4% in 2011/12) (Table 
3). Table 4 shows the number of detections and the detection rate by offence group and method of detection between 2006/07 and 2011/12. The proportion of offences detected by charge or summons remained stable for the majority of the main offence groups. A notable exception was the charge or summons detection rates for violence against the person offences, which increased from 24 per cent in 2006/07 to 30 per cent in 2011/12. While the overall sanction detection rate for drug offences was 92 per cent in 2011/12, there have been considerable changes in the method of detection in recent years, in part reflecting changes to police powers over time. 

 The proportion of drug offences dealt with by the issue of a caution fell from 21 per cent in 
2006/07 to 18 per cent in 2011/12. 
 The use of Cannabis Warnings, introduced in 2004/05, reached a peak in 2007/08 when 
45 per cent of all drug offences were detected by this method. Since then the use of Cannabis Warnings has fallen to 34 per cent in 2011/12.   
 PNDs for cannabis possession have been available since January 2009 and in 2009/10, 
13,489 were issued. This figure has risen to 15,930 in 2011/12 and is thought to have 
contributed to the fall in Cannabis Warnings issued. 
DEVELOPING A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR CRIME OUTCOMES The Home Office is undertaking a review of the current framework for recording police detections. The current sanction detection categories, as set out in the Home Office Counting Rules, largely reflect former performance and target-based positions and do not paint a complete picture of the different outcomes across all recorded crime. In recent years, policing partners have made it clear that these categories prevent recognition for Restorative Justice and community resolutions and impede the use of professional judgement and discretion in determining the most appropriate outcome for the victim and the wider community.  The Home Office has sought to address this and has included provision for forces to voluntarily submit all Restorative Justice and community resolution outcomes as part of their detections data returns since April 2011. There is growing support from policing and criminal justice partners to build on this and to replace the current sanction detection categories with a broader framework that recognises all crime disposals. The current methods of detection will all be retained and will continue to be presented in statistical releases, although some of the rigid rules that set out how and when they are claimed may be reconsidered. Importantly, a broader suite of outcomes will be recorded and reported, to improve transparency and provide the public with more detailed information on the majority (over 70%) of recorded crimes that are currently counted as merely 'undetected'. The Home Office intends to set out proposed changes and carry out a public consultation in the autumn. Any agreed changes would take effect in April 2013 and the resulting data would be subject to publication in July 2014. 

## 

|                                                                | Numbers and percentages                                                      | England and Wales, Recorded crime   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Offence                                                        | 2010/11                                                                      | 2011/12                             |
| Number of                                                      |                                                                              |                                     |
| offences                                                       |                                                                              |                                     |
| 4                                                              |                                                                              |                                     |
| 1                                                              | Murder                                                                       |                                     |
| 4.1                                                            | Manslaughter                         Homicide                                | 638                                 |
| 4.2                                                            | Infanticide                                                                  |                                     |
| 2                                                              | Attempted murder                                                             | 523                                 |
| 4.3                                                            | Intentional destruction of viable unborn child                               | 3                                   |
| 4.4                                                            | Causing death by dangerous driving                                           | 213                                 |
| 4.6                                                            | Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs | 25                                  |
| 4.8                                                            | Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving                           | 172                                 |
| 5A                                                             | Inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent                            | 19,489                              |
| 5B                                                             | Use of substance or object to endanger life                                  | 371                                 |
| 5C                                                             | Possession of items to endanger life                                         | 329                                 |
| 8F                                                             | Inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) without intent                         | 15,112                              |
| 8H                                                             | Racially or religiously aggravated inflicting GBH without intent             | 188                                 |
| 37.1                                                           | Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking                                   | 14                                  |
| 4.7                                                            | Causing or allowing death of a child or vulnerable person                    | 5                                   |
| 4.9                                                            | Causing death by driving: unlicensed drivers, etc.                           | 6                                   |
| 4.10                                                           | Corporate manslaughter                                                       | 1                                   |
| 8G                                                             | Actual bodily harm (ABH) and other injury                                    | 328,463                             |
| 8J                                                             | Racially or religiously aggravated ABH and other injury                      | 2,985                               |
| 8K                                                             | Poisoning or female genital mutilation                                       | 118                                 |
| Violence against the person - with injury                      |                                                                              |                                     |
| 368,655                                                        | 149,469                                                                      | 41                                  |
| 3A                                                             | Conspiracy to murder                                                         | 36                                  |
| 3B                                                             | Threats to kill                                                              | 9,480                               |
| 6                                                              | Endangering railway passengers                                               | 257                                 |
| 19                                                             |                                                                              |                                     |
| 4.0                                                            |                                                                              |                                     |
| 7                                                              | Endangering life at sea                                                      | 4                                   |
| 10A                                                            | Possession of firearms with intent                                           | 1,385                               |
| 10C                                                            | Possession of other weapons                                                  | 10,564                              |
| 10D                                                            | Possession of article with blade or point                                    | 10,474                              |
| 8L                                                             | Harassment                                                                   | 51,172                              |
| 9A                                                             | Public fear, alarm or distress                                               | 114,781                             |
| 8M                                                             | Racially or religiously aggravated harassment                                | 1,971                               |
| 9B                                                             | Racially or religiously aggravated public fear, alarm or distress            | 20,967                              |
| 11                                                             | Cruelty to and neglect of children                                           | 6,087                               |
| 12                                                             | Abandoning a child under the age of two years                                | 6                                   |
| 13                                                             | Child abduction                                                              | 548                                 |
| 14                                                             | Procuring illegal abortion                                                   | 5                                   |
| 104                                                            | Assault without injury on a constable                                        | 15,510                              |
| 105A Assault without injury                                    | 205,975                                                                      | 68,440                              |
| 105B Racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury | 4,062                                                                        | 1,828                               |
| Violence against the person - without injury                   |                                                                              |                                     |
| 453,284                                                        | 215,889                                                                      | 48                                  |
| TOTAL VIOLENCE AGAINST THE PERSON OFFENCES                     | 821,939                                                                      | 365,358                             |
% point change                       
in sanction                      
Number of 
Sanction 
Number of 
Number of 
Sanction 
detection rate                 
sanction 
detection           
sanction 
detection           
offences4
between                         
detections
detections
rate %5
rate %5
2010/11 and                       
2011/12 6
| Numbers and percentages                             | England and Wales, Recorded crime                          |
|-----------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| % point change                                      |                                                            |
| Offence                                             | 2010/11                                                    |
| in sanction                                         |                                                            |
| Number of                                           | Number of                                                  |
| detection rate                                      |                                                            |
| sanction                                            | detection                                                  |
| offences                                            |                                                            |
| 4                                                   |                                                            |
| offences                                            |                                                            |
| 4                                                   |                                                            |
| between                                             |                                                            |
| detections                                          | detections                                                 |
| rate %                                              |                                                            |
| 5                                                   |                                                            |
| rate %                                              |                                                            |
| 5                                                   |                                                            |
| 2010/11 and                                         |                                                            |
| 2011/12                                             |                                                            |
| 6                                                   |                                                            |
| 17A     Sexual assault on a male aged 13 and over   | 1,285                                                      |
| 17B     Sexual assault on a male child under 13     | 1,126                                                      |
| 19C                                                 | Rape of a female aged 16 and over                          |
| 19D                                                 | Rape of a female child under 16                            |
| 19E     Rape of a female child under 13             | 2,243                                                      |
| Rape of a female                                    | 14,589                                                     |
| 19F     Rape of a male aged 16 and over             | 387                                                        |
| 19G                                                 | Rape of a male child under 16                              |
| 19H                                                 | Rape of a male child under 13                              |
| Rape of a male                                      | 1,303                                                      |
| 20A     Sexual assault on a female aged 13 and over | 16,346                                                     |
| 20B     Sexual assault on a female child under 13   | 4,298                                                      |
| 21                                                  | Sexual activity involving a child under 13                 |
| 22B     Sexual activity involving a child under 16  | 4,039                                                      |
| 22A     Causing sexual activity without consent     | 167                                                        |
| 70                                                  | Sexual activity, etc. with a person with a mental disorder |
| 71                                                  | Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography     |
| 72                                                  | Trafficking for sexual exploitation                        |
| Most serious sexual crime                           | 45,271                                                     |
| 23                                                  | Incest or familial sexual offences                         |
| 24                                                  | Exploitation of prostitution                               |
| 27                                                  | Soliciting for the purposes of prostitution                |
| 73                                                  | Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature              |
| 88A     Sexual grooming                             | 309                                                        |
| 88C                                                 | Other miscellaneous sexual offences                        |
| 88D                                                 | Unnatural sexual offences                                  |
| 88E                                                 | Exposure and voyeurism                                     |
| Other sexual offences                               | 9,648                                                      |
| TOTAL SEXUAL OFFENCES                               | 54,919                                                     |
|                                                     |                                                            |
| Numbers and percentages                            | England and Wales, Recorded crime                               |
|----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| % point change                                     |                                                                 |
| Offence                                            | 2010/11                                                         |
| in sanction                                        |                                                                 |
| Number of                                          | Number of                                                       |
| detection rate                                     |                                                                 |
| sanction                                           | detection                                                       |
| offences                                           |                                                                 |
| 4                                                  |                                                                 |
| offences                                           |                                                                 |
| 4                                                  |                                                                 |
| between                                            |                                                                 |
| detections                                         | detections                                                      |
| rate %                                             |                                                                 |
| 5                                                  |                                                                 |
| rate %                                             |                                                                 |
| 5                                                  |                                                                 |
| 2010/11 and                                        |                                                                 |
| 2011/12                                            |                                                                 |
| 6                                                  |                                                                 |
| 34A     Robbery of business property               | 7,729                                                           |
| 34B     Robbery of personal property               | 68,460                                                          |
| TOTAL ROBBERY OFFENCES                             | 76,189                                                          |
| 28A                                                | Burglary in a dwelling                                          |
| 208,484                                            | 38,153                                                          |
| 28B                                                | Attempted burglary in a dwelling                                |
| 42,298                                             | 4,135                                                           |
| 28C                                                | Distraction burglary in a dwelling                              |
| 5,480                                              | 1,017                                                           |
| 28D                                                | Attempted distraction burglary in a dwelling                    |
| 543                                                | 115                                                             |
| 29                                                 | Aggravated burglary in a dwelling                               |
| Total burglary in a dwelling                       | 258,165                                                         |
| 30A                                                | Burglary in a building other than a dwelling                    |
| 230,868                                            | 23,512                                                          |
| 30B                                                | Attempted burglary in a building other than a dwelling          |
| 33,515                                             | 1,893                                                           |
| 31                                                 | Aggravated burglary in a building other than a dwelling         |
| Total burglary in a building other than a dwelling | 264,518                                                         |
| TOTAL BURGLARY OFFENCES                            | 522,683                                                         |
| 37.2                                               | Aggravated vehicle taking                                       |
| 45                                                 | Theft from a vehicle                                            |
| 48                                                 | Theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle                   |
| 126                                                | Interfering with a motor vehicle                                |
| TOTAL OFFENCES AGAINST VEHICLES                    | 449,616                                                         |
| 38                                                 | Profiting from or concealing knowledge of the proceeds of crime |
| 39                                                 | Theft from the person                                           |
| 40                                                 | Theft in a dwelling other than from automatic machine or meter  |
| 41                                                 | Theft by an employee                                            |
| 42                                                 | Theft of mail                                                   |
| 43                                                 | Dishonest use of electricity                                    |
| 44                                                 | Theft or unauthorised taking of a pedal cycle                   |
| 46                                                 | Shoplifting                                                     |
| 47                                                 | Theft from automatic machine or meter                           |
| 49                                                 | Other theft or unauthorised taking                              |
| 54                                                 | Handling stolen goods                                           |
| TOTAL OTHER THEFT OFFENCES                         | 1,078,679                                                       |
|                                                    |                                                                 |
| Numbers and percentages                                                        | England and Wales, Recorded crime                                       |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| % point change                                                                 |                                                                         |
| Offence                                                                        | 2010/11                                                                 |
| in sanction                                                                    |                                                                         |
| Number of                                                                      | Number of                                                               |
| detection rate                                                                 |                                                                         |
| sanction                                                                       | detection                                                               |
| offences                                                                       |                                                                         |
| 4                                                                              |                                                                         |
| offences                                                                       |                                                                         |
|                                                                                | 4                                                                       |
| between                                                                        |                                                                         |
| detections                                                                     | detections                                                              |
| rate %                                                                         |                                                                         |
| 5                                                                              |                                                                         |
| rate %                                                                         |                                                                         |
| 5                                                                              |                                                                         |
| 2010/11 and                                                                    |                                                                         |
| 2011/12                                                                        |                                                                         |
| 6                                                                              |                                                                         |
| 51                                                                             | Fraud by company director                                               |
| 52                                                                             | False accounting                                                        |
| 53B                                                                            | Preserved other fraud and repealed fraud offences                       |
| (pre-Fraud Act 2006)                                                           | 69,847                                                                  |
| 53C                                                                            | Fraud by false representation: cheque, plastic card and online accounts |
| 53D                                                                            | Fraud by false representation: other frauds                             |
| 53E                                                                            | Fraud by failing to disclose information                                |
| 53F                                                                            | Fraud by abuse of position                                              |
| 53H                                                                            | Making or supplying articles for use in fraud                           |
| 53J                                                                            | Possession of articles for use in fraud                                 |
| 55                                                                             | Bankruptcy and insolvency offences                                      |
| 60                                                                             | Forgery or use of false drug prescription                               |
| 61                                                                             | Other forgery                                                           |
| 61A                                                                            | Possession of false documents                                           |
| 814                                                                            | Vehicle/driver document fraud                                           |
| TOTAL FRAUD AND FORGERY OFFENCES                                               | 145,913                                                                 |
| 56A                                                                            | Arson endangering life                                                  |
| 56B                                                                            | Arson not endangering life                                              |
| 58A     Criminal damage to a dwelling                                          | 172,916                                                                 |
| 58B     Criminal damage to a building other than a dwelling                    | 75,677                                                                  |
| 58C                                                                            | Criminal damage to a vehicle                                            |
| 58D                                                                            | Other criminal damage                                                   |
| 58E     Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage to a dwelling       | 639                                                                     |
| 58F     Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage to a building other |                                                                         |
| than a dwelling                                                                |                                                                         |
| 534                                                                            | 171                                                                     |
| 58G                                                                            | Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage to a vehicle         |
| 58H                                                                            | Racially or religiously aggravated other criminal damage                |
| 59                                                                             | Threat etc. to commit criminal damage                                   |
| TOTAL CRIMINAL DAMAGE OFFENCES                                                 | 701,000                                                                 |
| TOTAL PROPERTY CRIME                                                           | 2,897,891                                                               |
| 92A     Trafficking in controlled drugs                                        | 32,336                                                                  |
| 92C                                                                            | Other drug offences                                                     |
| 92D                                                                            | Possession of controlled drugs (excluding cannabis)                     |
| 92E     Possession of controlled drugs (cannabis)                              | 160,733                                                                 |
| TOTAL DRUG OFFENCES                                                            | 232,922                                                                 |
| 10B                                                                            | Possession of firearms offences                                         |
| 81                                                                             | Other firearms offences                                                 |
| 15                                                                             | Concealing an infant death close to birth                               |
| 26                                                                             | Bigamy                                                                  |
|                                                                                |                                                                         |
| Numbers and percentages             | England and Wales, Recorded crime                             |
|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| % point change                      |                                                               |
| Offence                             | 2010/11                                                       |
| in sanction                         |                                                               |
| Number of                           | Number of                                                     |
| detection rate                      |                                                               |
| sanction                            | detection                                                     |
| offences                            |                                                               |
| 4                                   |                                                               |
| offences                            |                                                               |
| 4                                   |                                                               |
| between                             |                                                               |
| detections                          | detections                                                    |
| rate %                              |                                                               |
| 5                                   |                                                               |
| rate %                              |                                                               |
| 5                                   |                                                               |
| 2010/11 and                         |                                                               |
| 2011/12                             |                                                               |
| 6                                   |                                                               |
| 33                                  | Going equipped for stealing, etc.                             |
| 35                                  | Blackmail                                                     |
| 36                                  | Kidnapping                                                    |
| 62                                  | Treason                                                       |
| 64                                  | Riot                                                          |
| 65                                  | Violent disorder                                              |
| 66                                  | Other offences against the State or public order              |
| 67                                  | Perjury                                                       |
| 68                                  | Libel                                                         |
| 69                                  | Offender Management Act offences                              |
| 75                                  | Betting, gaming and lotteries                                 |
| 76                                  | Aiding suicide                                                |
| 78                                  | Immigration offences                                          |
| 79                                  | Perverting the course of justice                              |
| 80                                  | Absconding from lawful custody                                |
| 82                                  | Customs and revenue offences                                  |
| 83                                  | Bail offences                                                 |
| 84                                  | Trade descriptions, etc.                                      |
| 85                                  | Health and safety offences                                    |
| 86                                  | Obscene publications etc.                                     |
| 87                                  | Protection from eviction                                      |
| 89                                  | Adulteration of food                                          |
| 90                                  | Other knives offences                                         |
| 91                                  | Public health offences                                        |
| 94                                  | Planning laws                                                 |
| 95                                  | Disclosure, obstruction, false or misleading statements, etc. |
| 99                                  | Other notifiable or triable-either-way offences               |
| 802                                 | Dangerous driving                                             |
| TOTAL OTHER MISCELLANEOUS OFFENCES  | 67,055                                                        |
| TOTAL RECORDED CRIME - ALL OFFENCES |                                                               |
| 4,150,915                           | 1,153,020                                                     |

1.  Offences detected in the current year may have been initially recorded in an earlier year and for this reason some percentages may exceed 100. 2.  Numbers of recorded crimes and percentages w ill be affected by changes in reporting and recording. 3.  Some forces have revised their 2010/11 data and totals may not agree w ith those previously published.

4.  Total recorded crime w hether detected or not.

5.  The number of crimes that are cleared up by a sanction detection divided by the total number of recorded offences. 6.  Percentage point change based on unrounded figures. -    Indicates that data are not reported because the base bumber of offences is few er than 50.

| Percentages                                   | England and Wales, Recorded crime   |
|-----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Offence                                       |                                     |
| 2002/03                                       | 2003/04                             |
| % point                                       |                                     |
| change                                        |                                     |
| 2010/11 to                                    |                                     |
| 2011/12                                       |                                     |
| 1                                             |                                     |
| Violence against the person - w ith injury    | 34                                  |
| Violence against the person - w ithout injury | 37                                  |
| Total violence against the person             | 36                                  |
| Most serious sexual crime                     | 31                                  |
| of which:                                     |                                     |
| Sexual assault on a female                    | 30                                  |
| 28                                            | 28                                  |
| 29                                            | 29                                  |
| Rape of a female                              | 30                                  |
| 25                                            | 25                                  |
| 25                                            | 24                                  |
| Other sexual offences                         | 34                                  |
| Total sexual offences                         | 32                                  |
| Total robbery                                 | 17                                  |
| Burglary in a dw elling                       | 13                                  |
| Burglary in a building other than a dw elling | 10                                  |
| Total burglary                                | 11                                  |
| Theft of a motor vehicle                      | 13                                  |
| Theft from a vehicle                          | 6                                   |
| Interfering w ith a motor vehicle             | 6                                   |
| Total offences against vehicles               | 8                                   |
| Other theft offences                          | 19                                  |
| Fraud and forgery                             | 23                                  |
| Criminal damage                               | 10                                  |
| Drug offences                                 |                                     |
| 86                                            | 81                                  |
| -1.0                                          |                                     |
| Other offences                                |                                     |
| 70                                            | 68                                  |
| -0.9                                          |                                     |
| TOTAL                                         | 19                                  |

1. Percentage point change based on unrounded figures.

England and Wales, Recorded crime 
Method of detection
2002/03
2003/04
2004/05
2005/06
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
2010/11 to 
2011/12
%          
Number of detections
change  
Charge/summons
802,469
783,056
717,691
725,375
693,808
674,307
698,464
666,948
675,063
648,482
-3.9
Cautions
213,020
225,405
249,390
310,934
357,898
358,295
319,161
269,728
236,773
209,764
-11.4
TICs1
111,541
105,648
106,346
117,579
121,417
107,174
102,046
79,596
74,451
65,960
-11.4
PNDs2 3
..
3,045
43,526
105,695
139,735
129,018
108,305
102,766
86,074
73,807
-14.3
Cannabis Warnings3
..
..
40,138
62,586
80,653
103,804
107,241
87,332
80,659
77,914
-3.4
Total sanction detections
1,127,030
1,117,154
1,157,091
1,322,169
1,393,511
1,372,598
1,335,217
1,206,370
1,153,020
1,075,927
-6.7
Non-sanction detections4 5 6
273,735
289,311
284,321
193,809
81,904
865
2,906
6,834
9,697
54,183
458.8
All detections
1,400,765
1,406,465
1,441,412
1,515,978
1,475,415
1,373,463
1,338,123
1,213,204
1,162,717
1,130,110
-2.8
Total number of offences 7
5,974,960
6,013,759
5,637,511
5,555,172
5,427,558
4,952,277
4,702,697
4,338,295
4,150,915
3,976,312
-4.2
Detection rates 8
% point change  
Charge/summons
13.4
13.0
12.7
13.1
12.8
13.6
14.9
15.4
16.3
16.3
0.0
Cautions
3.6
3.7
4.4
5.6
6.6
7.2
6.8
6.2
5.7
5.3
-0.4
TICs1
1.9
1.8
1.9
2.1
2.2
2.2
2.2
1.8
1.8
1.7
-0.1
PNDs2 3
..
0.1
0.8
1.9
2.6
2.6
2.3
2.4
2.1
1.9
-0.2
Cannabis Warnings3
..
..
0.7
1.1
1.5
2.1
2.3
2.0
1.9
2.0
0.0
Total sanction detections
18.9
18.6
20.5
23.8
25.7
27.7
28.4
27.8
27.8
27.1
-0.7
Non-sanction detections4 5 6
4.6
4.8
5.0
3.5
1.5
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.2
1.4
1.1
All detections
23.4
23.4
25.6
27.3
27.2
27.7
28.5
28.0
28.0
28.4
0.4

1. Offences asked to be taken into consideration by a court. 2. Penalty Notices for Disorder (formerly know n as fixed penalty notices) w ere introduced in several forces in 2003/04 and nationally in 2004/05. 3. Cannabis Warnings for possession of cannabis w ere introduced in 2004/05. Since 26 January 2009, Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) can also be given for an offence of cannabis possession.  Up to the end of March 2009 such PNDs w ere counted in the same category as Cannabis Warnings. 4. From 1 April 2007, new  rules governing non-sanction detections significantly limited the occasions for w hich such administrative disposals can be applied. 5. Includes data on Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) submitted to the Home Office as non-sanction detections from pilots in eight police force areas (Avon and Somerset, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Metropolitan, Norfolk, North Wales, Nottinghamshire).  The pilot w as introduced in 2008/09. 6. Includes Restorative Justice and community resolution data submitted on a voluntary basis by 22 forces in 2011/12. 7. Total recorded crime w hether detected or not. 8. The number of crimes that are cleared up by a detection divided by total number of recorded offences. ..  Not available.

Violence against the person
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
254,443
245,298
247,172
240,806
240,285
225,203
Cautions
155,887
154,732
131,074
110,648
97,395
86,161
TICs 1
603
546
311
241
193
152
PNDs 2 3
74,948
66,276
47,973
35,650
27,485
20,209
Total sanction detections
485,881
466,852
426,530
387,345
365,358
331,725
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
45,562
282
928
2,384
3,486
21,705
All detections
531,443
467,134
427,458
389,729
368,844
353,430
Total recorded offences
1,046,167
961,432
903,476
871,396
821,939
762,515
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
24.3
25.5
27.4
27.6
29.2
29.5
Cautions
14.9
16.1
14.5
12.7
11.8
11.3
TICs 1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
PNDs 2 3
7.2
6.9
5.3
4.1
3.3
2.7
Total sanction detections
46.4
48.6
47.2
44.5
44.5
43.5
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
4.4
0.0
0.1
0.3
0.4
2.8
All detections
50.8
48.6
47.3
44.7
44.9
46.4

## Sexual Offences

| Method of detection       | 2006/07   | 2007/08   | 2008/09   | 2009/10   | 2010/11   | 2011/12   |
|---------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Number of detections      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Charge/summons            | 13,863    | 13,136    | 13,254    | 13,688    | 14,101    | 13,817    |
| Cautions                  | 2,985     | 2,972     | 2,743     | 2,455     | 2,264     | 2,210     |
| TICs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 172                       | 163       | 146       | 82        | 90        | 82        |           |
| PNDs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2 3                       |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 47                        | 19        | 16        | 11        | 8         | 15        |           |
| Total sanction detections | 17,067    | 16,290    | 16,159    | 16,236    | 16,463    | 16,124    |
| Non-sanction detections   |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 4 5 6                     |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1,299                     | 110       | 86        | 107       | 121       | 290       |           |
| All detections            | 18,366    | 16,400    | 16,245    | 16,343    | 16,584    | 16,414    |
| Total recorded offences   | 57,522    | 53,566    | 51,429    | 54,344    | 54,919    | 53,665    |
| Detection rate (%)        |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Charge/summons            | 24.1      | 24.5      | 25.8      | 25.2      | 25.7      | 25.7      |
| Cautions                  | 5.2       | 5.5       | 5.3       | 4.5       | 4.1       | 4.1       |
| TICs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 0.3                       | 0.3       | 0.3       | 0.2       | 0.2       | 0.2       |           |
| PNDs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2 3                       |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 0.1                       | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.0       | 0.0       |           |
| Total sanction detections | 29.7      | 30.4      | 31.4      | 29.9      | 30.0      | 30.0      |
| Non-sanction detections   |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 4 5 6                     |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2.3                       | 0.2       | 0.2       | 0.2       | 0.2       | 0.5       |           |
| All detections            | 31.9      | 30.6      | 31.6      | 30.1      | 30.2      | 30.6      |
|                           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
Robbery
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
16,809
15,536
15,459
14,367
14,649
14,548
Cautions
807
657
555
393
356
283
TICs 1
936
865
802
622
676
596
PNDs 2 3
1
2
0
0
0
0
Total sanction detections
18,553
17,060
16,816
15,382
15,681
15,427
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
400
51
21
22
17
56
All detections
18,953
17,111
16,837
15,404
15,698
15,483
Total recorded offences
101,376
84,773
80,130
75,105
76,189
74,690
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
16.6
18.3
19.3
19.1
19.2
19.5
Cautions
0.8
0.8
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.4
TICs 1
0.9
1.0
1.0
0.8
0.9
0.8
PNDs 2 3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Total sanction detections
18.3
20.1
21.0
20.5
20.6
20.7
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
0.4
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
All detections
18.7
20.2
21.0
20.5
20.6
20.7
Burglary
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
40,931
38,480
38,794
36,031
38,007
37,465
Cautions
6,697
5,755
4,881
3,876
3,437
3,087
TICs 1
37,005
32,689
34,153
28,854
27,901
24,419
PNDs 2 3
76
45
20
26
17
17
Total sanction detections
84,709
76,969
77,848
68,787
69,362
64,988
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
2,347
62
35
63
84
472
All detections
87,056
77,031
77,883
68,850
69,446
65,460
Total recorded offences
622,012
583,710
581,584
540,645
522,683
501,053
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
6.6
6.6
6.7
6.7
7.3
7.5
Cautions
1.1
1.0
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.6
TICs 1
5.9
5.6
5.9
5.3
5.3
4.9
PNDs 2 3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Total sanction detections
13.6
13.2
13.4
12.7
13.3
13.0
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
0.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
All detections
14.0
13.2
13.4
12.7
13.3
13.1
 
Offences against vehicles
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
32,931
29,639
28,974
23,821
23,246
22,518
Cautions
7,710
6,962
6,180
4,774
3,785
2,902
TICs 1
39,087
34,606
31,876
23,861
22,709
19,431
PNDs 2 3
68
35
29
18
15
13
Total sanction detections
79,796
71,242
67,059
52,474
49,755
44,864
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
2,490
15
24
75
75
416
All detections
82,286
71,257
67,083
52,549
49,830
45,280
Total recorded offences
765,015
656,453
591,853
494,873
449,616
417,444
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
4.3
4.5
4.9
4.8
5.2
5.4
Cautions
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.8
0.7
TICs 1
5.1
5.3
5.4
4.8
5.1
4.7
PNDs 2 3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Total sanction detections
10.4
10.9
11.3
10.6
11.1
10.7
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
0.3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
All detections
10.8
10.9
11.3
10.6
11.1
10.8

## Other Theft Offences

| Method of detection       | 2006/07   | 2007/08   | 2008/09   | 2009/10   | 2010/11   | 2011/12   |
|---------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Number of detections      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Charge/summons            | 132,620   | 134,374   | 147,202   | 137,791   | 145,039   | 148,522   |
| Cautions                  | 66,936    | 64,810    | 60,277    | 53,302    | 44,302    | 38,509    |
| TICs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 20,782                    | 19,238    | 19,390    | 15,785    | 14,983    | 14,371    |           |
| PNDs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2 3                       |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 40,593                    | 43,098    | 45,796    | 44,237    | 37,643    | 32,582    |           |
| Total sanction detections | 260,931   | 261,520   | 272,665   | 251,115   | 241,967   | 233,984   |
| Non-sanction detections   |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 4 5 6                     |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 10,018                    | 111       | 1,086     | 2,511     | 3,661     | 18,372    |           |
| All detections            | 270,949   | 261,631   | 273,751   | 253,626   | 245,628   | 252,356   |
| Total recorded offences   | 1,180,802 | 1,121,186 | 1,080,003 | 1,037,312 | 1,078,679 | 1,105,117 |
| Detection rate (%)        |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Charge/summons            | 11.2      | 12.0      | 13.6      | 13.3      | 13.4      | 13.4      |
| Cautions                  | 5.7       | 5.8       | 5.6       | 5.1       | 4.1       | 3.5       |
| TICs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1.8                       | 1.7       | 1.8       | 1.5       | 1.4       | 1.3       |           |
| PNDs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2 3                       |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 3.4                       | 3.8       | 4.2       | 4.3       | 3.5       | 2.9       |           |
| Total sanction detections | 22.1      | 23.3      | 25.2      | 24.2      | 22.4      | 21.2      |
| Non-sanction detections   |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 4 5 6                     |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 0.8                       | 0.0       | 0.1       | 0.2       | 0.3       | 1.7       |           |
| All detections            | 22.9      | 23.3      | 25.3      | 24.5      | 22.8      | 22.8      |
|                           |           |           |           |           |           |           |
Fraud and forgery
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
29,972
26,314
27,429
23,724
23,709
21,342
Cautions
10,405
10,639
9,173
7,622
6,637
5,745
TICs 1
13,523
10,784
8,531
5,563
4,166
3,835
PNDs 2 3
166
75
108
131
84
74
Total sanction detections
54,066
47,812
45,241
37,040
34,596
30,996
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
1,836
27
77
126
294
2,540
All detections
55,902
47,839
45,318
37,166
34,890
33,536
Total recorded offences
199,652
155,439
163,159
152,272
145,913
141,241
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
15.0
16.9
16.8
15.6
16.2
15.1
Cautions
5.2
6.8
5.6
5.0
4.5
4.1
TICs 1
6.8
6.9
5.2
3.7
2.9
2.7
PNDs 2 3
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
Total sanction detections
27.1
30.8
27.7
24.3
23.7
21.9
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
0.9
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.2
1.8
All detections
28.0
30.8
27.8
24.4
23.9
23.7
Criminal damage
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
72,189
66,687
65,404
59,536
57,926
54,088
Cautions
55,850
54,889
46,509
35,659
28,812
23,454
TICs 1
8,693
7,671
6,374
4,251
3,446
2,893
PNDs 2 3
22,485
18,814
13,097
9,027
6,044
4,758
Total sanction detections
159,217
148,061
131,384
108,473
96,228
85,193
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
13,157
92
576
1,304
1,720
9,574
All detections
172,374
148,153
131,960
109,777
97,948
94,767
Total recorded offences
1,185,040
1,036,356
936,361
806,641
701,000
631,221
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
6.1
6.4
7.0
7.4
8.3
8.6
Cautions
4.7
5.3
5.0
4.4
4.1
3.7
TICs 1
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.5
0.5
0.5
PNDs 2 3
1.9
1.8
1.4
1.1
0.9
0.8
Total sanction detections
13.4
14.3
14.0
13.4
13.7
13.5
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
1.1
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.2
1.5
All detections
14.5
14.3
14.1
13.6
14.0
15.0
 
Drug offences
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
58,832
65,153
72,967
76,637
79,213
76,172
Cautions
41,647
48,013
49,418
43,534
42,693
41,383
TICs 1
399
429
262
210
141
114
PNDs 2 3
396
358
1,037
13,489
14,568
15,930
Cannabis Warnings 3
80,653
103,804
107,241
87,332
80,659
77,914
Total sanction detections
181,927
217,757
230,925
221,202
217,274
211,513
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
3,180
50
41
182
132
321
All detections
185,107
217,807
230,966
221,384
217,406
211,834
Total recorded offences
194,233
229,913
243,536
235,584
232,922
229,103
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
30.3
28.3
30.0
32.5
34.0
33.2
Cautions
21.4
20.9
20.3
18.5
18.3
18.1
TICs 1
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
PNDs 2 3
0.2
0.2
0.4
5.7
6.3
7.0
Cannabis Warnings 3
41.5
45.1
44.0
37.1
34.6
34.0
Total sanction detections
93.7
94.7
94.8
93.9
93.3
92.3
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
1.6
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
All detections
95.3
94.7
94.8
94.0
93.3
92.5
Other offences
Method of detection
2006/07
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
2011/12
Number of detections
Charge/summons
41,218
39,690
41,809
40,547
38,888
34,807
Cautions
8,974
8,866
8,351
7,465
7,092
6,030
TICs 1
217
183
201
127
146
67
PNDs 2 3
955
296
229
177
210
209
Total sanction detections
51,364
49,035
50,590
48,316
46,336
41,113
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
1,615
65
32
60
107
437
All detections
52,979
49,100
50,622
48,376
46,443
41,550
Total recorded offences
75,739
69,449
71,166
70,123
67,055
60,263
Detection rate (%)
Charge/summons
54.4
57.1
58.7
57.8
58.0
57.8
Cautions
11.8
12.8
11.7
10.6
10.6
10.0
TICs 1
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.1
PNDs 2 3
1.3
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
Total sanction detections
67.8
70.6
71.1
68.9
69.1
68.2
Non-sanction detections 4 5 6
2.1
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.7
All detections
69.9
70.7
71.1
69.0
69.3
68.9
 

## Total Offences

| Method of detection       | 2006/07   | 2007/08   | 2008/09   | 2009/10   | 2010/11   | 2011/12   |
|---------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Number of detections      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Charge/summons            | 693,808   | 674,307   | 698,464   | 666,948   | 675,063   | 648,482   |
| Cautions                  | 357,898   | 358,295   | 319,161   | 269,728   | 236,773   | 209,764   |
| TICs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 121,417                   | 107,174   | 102,046   | 79,596    | 74,451    | 65,960    |           |
| PNDs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2 3                       |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 139,735                   | 129,018   | 108,305   | 102,766   | 86,074    | 73,807    |           |
| Cannabis Warnings         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 3                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 80,653                    | 103,804   | 107,241   | 87,332    | 80,659    | 77,914    |           |
| Total sanction detections | 1,393,511 | 1,372,598 | 1,335,217 | 1,206,370 | 1,153,020 | 1,075,927 |
| Non-sanction detections   |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 4 5 6                     |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 81,904                    | 865       | 2,906     | 6,834     | 9,697     | 54,183    |           |
| All detections            | 1,475,415 | 1,373,463 | 1,338,123 | 1,213,204 | 1,162,717 | 1,130,110 |
| Total recorded offences   | 5,427,558 | 4,952,277 | 4,702,697 | 4,338,295 | 4,150,915 | 3,976,312 |
| Detection rate (%)        |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| Charge/summons            | 12.8      | 13.6      | 14.9      | 15.4      | 16.3      | 16.3      |
| Cautions                  | 6.6       | 7.2       | 6.8       | 6.2       | 5.7       | 5.3       |
| TICs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2.2                       | 2.2       | 2.2       | 1.8       | 1.8       | 1.7       |           |
| PNDs                      |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2 3                       |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 2.6                       | 2.6       | 2.3       | 2.4       | 2.1       | 1.9       |           |
| Cannabis Warnings         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 3                         |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1.5                       | 2.1       | 2.3       | 2.0       | 1.9       | 2.0       |           |
| Total sanction detections | 25.7      | 27.7      | 28.4      | 27.8      | 27.8      | 27.1      |
| Non-sanction detections   |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 4 5 6                     |           |           |           |           |           |           |
| 1.5                       | 0.0       | 0.1       | 0.2       | 0.2       | 1.4       |           |
| All detections            | 27.2      | 27.7      | 28.5      | 28.0      | 28.0      | 28.4      |

1.  Offences asked to be taken into consideration by a court. 2.  Penalty Notices for Disorder (formerly know n as fixed penalty notices) w ere introduced in several forces in 2003/04 and nationally in 2004/05. 3.  Cannabis Warnings for possession of cannabis w ere introduced in 2004/05.  Since 26 January 2009, Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) can also be given for an offence of cannabis possession. Up to the end of March 2009 such PNDs w ere counted in the same category as Cannabis Warnings. 4. From 1 April 2007, new  rules governing non-sanction detections significantly limited the occasions for w hich such administrative disposals can be applied. 5  Includes data on Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) submitted to the Home Office as non-sanction detections from pilots in eight police force areas (Avon and Somerset, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Metropolitan, Norfolk, North Wales, Nottinghamshire).  The pilot w as introduced in 2008/09. 6.  Includes Restorative Justice and community resolution data submitted on a voluntary basis by 22 forces in 2011/12. 

## Notes

Detected crimes are those that have been 'cleared up' by the police. Not every case where the police know, or think they know, who committed a crime can be counted as a detection and some crimes are counted as detected when the victim might view the case as far from solved. For any crime to be counted as detected sufficient evidence must be available to claim a detection and all of the following conditions must be met: 

 a notifiable offence has been committed and recorded;  a suspect has been identified and has been made aware that they will be recorded as being 
responsible for committing that crime and what the full implications of this are; and 
 one of the methods of detection listed below applies.  
The police may use one of several methods to count a crime as detected. They fall into two broad categories; sanction and non-sanction detections. Once a detection has been claimed, any identifiable victim must be informed that the crime has been detected, or in the case of a child, their parent or guardian. The detection (or clear-up) rate is the number of detections recorded in a given year as a percentage of the total number of crimes recorded in the same period. See General Rules section H of Home Office Counting Rules (2012) for information on counting detections.  

## Sanction Detections

Sanction detections include offences that are cleared up through a formal sanction to the offender. Not all sanction detections will necessarily result in a subsequent conviction. In cases detected by charge or summons, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) may not take forward proceedings or the offender might be found not guilty. A sanction detection can be claimed when an offender has: 

 Been charged or summonsed 
An offence is deemed to be detected if a person has been charged or summonsed for the crime (irrespective of any subsequent acquittal at court). 

 Been cautioned, reprimanded or given a final warning 
An offence is deemed to be detected if an offender has been cautioned by the police (including conditional cautions) or given a reprimand or warning under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. A caution may be given by, or on the instructions of, a senior police officer when an offender admits guilt, where there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and where the offender consents to the caution being issued. Guidance on administering cautions was published in 2005 and later revised in 2008. The guidance can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/home-office-circulars/circulars-2008/016-2008/ 

  Had an offence taken into consideration  
An offence is deemed to be detected if the offender admits the crime and asks for it to be taken into consideration by the court and where there is additional verifiable information linking that offender to that crime. 

 

 Received a Penalty Notice for Disorder  
An offence is deemed to be detected if the police issue a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND). Such a notice must be issued in accordance with any operational guidance to the police (e.g. 

Police Operational Guidance on PNDs issued by the Home Office in March 2005). A detection is counted if the penalty notice is not contested, is contested but the CPS proceeds with the case, or, in discontinued cases, the dedicated decision maker reviews the case and stands by the original decision. With effect from 26 January 2009, it became possible for a PND to be given for an offence of cannabis possession. For central reporting purposes any such PNDs were counted as Cannabis Warnings for the period January to March 2009; from April 2009 a system was put in place to correctly record them as PNDs for the relevant offence.   

 Received a warning for cannabis possession 
Prior to January 2007 this detection method was known as a 'formal warning for cannabis possession'. From April 2004 information on police formal warnings for cannabis possession started to be collected centrally (prior to this a pilot scheme was run in parts of London). Those aged 18 and over who are caught in simple possession of cannabis can be eligible for a police Cannabis Warning, which would not involve an arrest. An offence is deemed to be cleared up if a Cannabis Warning has been issued in accordance with guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).  

## Non-Sanction Detections

Non-sanction detections comprise those where the offence is counted as cleared up but either no further action was taken against the offender or the matter has been resolved by the use of a locally based community resolution or the application of Restorative Justice (RJ) techniques. 

 
Non-sanction detections - by no further action 
Prior to April 2007 various reasons were allowed for claiming non-sanction detections where no further action was taken against the offender including where the: 

 
offender was too ill or mentally disturbed for proceedings to take place; 
 
complainant or an essential witness was dead; 
 
victim refused or was unable to give evidence; 
 
offender was under the age of criminal responsibility; 
 
police or the CPS decided that it would not be in the public interest to proceed; and 
 
time limit of six months for commencing prosecution had been exceeded. 
From April 2007, there are now only two ways in which non-sanction detections involving no further action may be claimed:  

 
where the offender dies before proceedings could be initiated or completed; 
 
where the CPS decides not to prosecute (by virtue of its powers under the Criminal 
Justice Act 2003).  
The use of non-sanction detections involving no further action is now restricted to 'indictable only' 
offences (those offences which must be tried at Crown Court). 

 
Non-sanction detections - by local resolution 
A special arrangement has been in place since 2008/09 to allow eight forces piloting Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) to record their disposals under this category.  Youth Restorative Disposals (YRDs) allow operational officers to dispose of low-level crime and neighbourhood disorder where it is not considered to be in the public interest to prosecute. The process involves a meeting between the offender and the victim, an apology and may also include additional action to right the wrong caused (e.g. a form of community payback). From April 2011, forces may voluntarily submit additional data on crimes 'cleared up' by the application of a form of Restorative Justice (RJ). RJ includes formal action, such as the Youth Restorative Disposal, administered by trained practitioners, as well as less formal communitybased resolutions where the offender has made an admission and the victim is satisfied that such a resolution may be used. This may amount to an apology or agreement to carry out some activity, such as repairing damage caused. Such 'clear ups' are included as non-sanction detections in this bulletin. 

## Changes To Detection Rates

There have been a number of changes to recording practices and the sanctions available that have affected the recorded detection rates.  

## Home Office Counting Rules And The National Crime Recording Standard

The Home Office Counting Rules for recorded crime changed from April 1998. These brought new offences into the series with varying detection rates. It is estimated that the effect of the changes was to increase the overall detection rate from 28 to 29 per cent. Additional changes were implemented with effect from April 1999. Any detection recorded required: 'sufficient evidence to charge'; an interview with the offender; and notification to the victim. In addition, detections obtained by the interview of a convicted prisoner ceased to count. The overall effect of the April 1999 change is estimated as a single percentage point decrease in detection rates (although the effect varied between crime types). The implementation of the NCRS in April 2002 is thought to have had an inflationary effect on recorded crime and the assumption is that it has depressed detection rates since additional recorded crimes are generally less serious and possibly harder to detect. 

 

## References

 Office for National Statistics, 2012, 'Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly First Release to March 
2012'  
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+in+England+and+Wales 
 
Office for National Statistics, 2012, 'User Guide to Crime Statistics for England and Wales'  
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+in+England+and+Wales 
 
UK Statistics Authority (2011) Assessment Report 102. 

<http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/assessment/assessment-reports/assessmentreport-102---crime-statistics-in-england-and-wales.pdf>