Attached Link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0304.html

*So, what's the crime rate over there in UK?*

Link above is to Crime in England and Wales 2003/04, the latest figures available. Scotland, whilst part of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, has a separate legal system to E&W, and reports separately. They're available through the
Scottish Executive web site. (BTW, the difference between 'Great Britain' and 'United Kingdom' is that UK includes Northern Ireland and GB doesn't.) Clear? ;-)

Broadly speaking, the overall trend in crime figures here is a slow creep upwards, with downward swings in various different kinds of crime. It's hard to be exact over long periods because the methods of counting change and, of course, recorded crime is not the same as actual crimes committed. The amalgamation of police figures covers recorded crime; the British Crime Survey asks the population about crimes committed against them. It's perfectly possible (and does happen) to have some years where government statistics show that crime levels have both risen and fallen, depending on which set of figures you're looking at. One thing is for sure though: levels of crime are nowhere near the heights that certain newspapers like to claim they are. The fear of crime is often a much bigger problem than crime itself. Message edited on: 06/06/2005 11:14