It suggests crime rates in England and Wales are the highest in the industrialised world, and that we're at the very top of the international crime league table for burglary, car offences, sex and violent assaults. The study, which relied on questioning people about their experiences rather than jotting up offences recorded by the police, may reflect a nation's obsession with crime - as an issue, it is on a par with the weather. But a sounder conclusion is that other countries are faring much better in the areas of prevention and deterrence. The reasons are probably myriad. The Alcohol and Health Research Centre study also showed teenagers from the UK are more likely than most of their European counterparts to have taken drugs, drunk alcohol or smoked.
Teenagers are responsible for the majority of minor offences.
At a briefing at Scotland Yard yesterday, Sir John Stevens, the commissioner, told reporters some of the difficulties facing his force. The Met is about 3,000 officers under strength at the moment. His aim is to have filled the vacant posts within three years, but it won't happen without massive funding for recruitment campaigns. Progress is painfully slow. Morale is rock bottom.