To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for policing in (a) Merseyside and (b) England and Wales of an increase in crimes recorded and a fall in criminal charges brought since 2014-15.
Answered on
23 July 2018
The likelihood of a crime resulting in a charge can vary for a number of reasons, including the complexity or severity of an offence or the difficulty in identifying a suspect.
Changes in charge rates are likely to be the result of a combination of improved crime recording by the police and forces taking on more complex crimes which take longer to receive an outcome, such as domestic abuse or sexual offences.
The statistics show that there has been a societal shift towards victims reporting ‘hidden’ crimes to the police and we welcome that more victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence are feeling empowered to come forward.
We recognise that demand on the police is changing and have responded positively by providing a strong and comprehensive settlement that provides a £460m increase in overall funding in 2018/19, including increased funding to tackle counter-terrorism and additional funding for local policing through Council Tax precept.