Murder rate in England at its lowest in 20 years

Alan Travis, Home Affairs editor

Thursday 16 July 2009

Number of killings drops 17% in England and Wales as Home Office reports overall crime is stable despite recession.

The murder rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest in 20 years, with 648 homicides recorded in 2008/09 – 136 fewer than the year before.

The annual crime figures published today appear to show that the economic recession has had a limited impact, with a lower than expected 1% increase in domestic burglary.

The overall crime rate in England and Wales is officially declared to have been stable in the past year with an estimated 10.7m offences, according to the British Crime Survey (BCS). The separate measure of police-recorded crime said the rate fell by 5% last year.

• To read the complete Guardian article, please click here.
• To look at the UK Home Office "Crime in England and Wales 2008/2009" statistics, please click here.