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Recent reports that crime in Britain and Wales has dropped to its lowest level since 1981 have been met with some shock – but yes, the crime rate really does show that these countries are safer places of late. It’s not all good news and there’s certainly a long way to go in the fight against crime, but the news provides some hope and reassurance for those who think that it’s all bad news about the state of the country.

Unfounded fears

Fears that the recession would cause an upsurge in crime have been crushed by these recent statistics. ‘Acquisitive crime’, such as burglary, was expected to see a particular increase as a result of the economic downturn, but that simply hasn’t been the case.

It’s in the numbers

The crime rate is down by 10 per cent from last year, and shows a total decline of 43 per cent since 1997. That’s the year, incidentally, that the Labour government came into power, so the figures suggest that they’ve done well in reducing crime. The figures fell for almost every type of crime, from burglary to homicide. It’s not all good news, though: alarmingly, figures increased significantly when it came to sexual offences.

Still too high

While these crime figures are reassuring, any crime is too much crime. That’s the word from Downing Street, and the Home Secretary, Theresa May, pointed out that crime figures may not be entirely accurate as not all crimes are reported. It seems, however, that it’s safe to say that there’s an improvement when it comes to crime in Britain – and if the police and other agencies keep up the good work, maybe there’ll be an even greater fall in the future.

Tags: safety