Crime is big business; it sells more novels than on any other subject and is a sure headline grabber for the print and broadcast media in drama, news, current affairs and documentary formats.  The public have a thirst for knowledge when it comes to crime, crime sells papers, improves television ratings and draws people to watch films and read books.  

Despite all of the attention given to crime there is a disparity between people's experiences of crime and reality of what is happening in society.  A recent poll showed that 57% of people think that crime is rising; an impression from watching television, while 48% had the same impression, gained from reading newspapers.

Over four articles I will explore a few of the facts and misconceptions around crime, prisons, women and young offenders, and the health and educational issues of those sent to prison.  I will be using new data released in the British Crime Survey and Police records, Bromley Briefings by the Prison Reform Trust and a range of other independent reports. 

The crime statistics covering England and Wales have been published recently and I thought it may be helpful to breakdown some of the facts and figures contained in the report.  The figures combine the reporting of police recorded crime and the British Crime Survey. The police statistics show trends in well reported crimes and indicate the police workload and assist with analysis of local crime patterns.  The British Crime Survey results are based on interviews and are thought to provide a better indication of trends and the extent of crime since some crimes are not reported to the police.  The figures are complied independently of government.

Some figures do not change. Young males aged between 16 and 24 remain the most at risk of being a victim of crime, followed by full time students.  Young people with a high number of portable high value goods such as laptop computers, ipods and mobile phones are also more likely to be out on the streets at night drinking.  Young people, especially students are also more likely to live in homes with low levels of householder security, many visitors and doors and windows left open.  Overall 2% of the population experienced burglary last year.  Those who are ten times more likely to be burgled are those households with a lack of deadlocks on doors and locks on windows.

The headline news is that between 2007 and 2008 the total recorded crime in Wales of 82 offences per 1,000 of the population was lower than that of England and Wales as a whole at 91 offences per 1,000 in the population.  The total number of crimes recorded by the police in Wales fell by 6%.

The risk of being a victim of a personal, household or vehicle related crime is lower in Wales than in England and Wales as a whole.

The South Wales Police force headquarters is based here in Bridgend at Waterton.  The County Borough of Bridgend is policed by F Division Basic Command Unit (BCU) covering a population of 132,584 or 54,894 households. The Bridgend BCU is assessed alongside other comparable BCU’s and is ranked the second lowest overall with a rate of 10.3 crimes per 1000 residents compared to an average rate of 14.3.

Robbery is down 6%, burglary down 17%, and theft of motor vehicles down 12% and theft from motor vehicles down 20%.  In contrast violence against the person has increased with 1,757 offences between 2006/07 and 1,944 between 2007/08.  To obtain a clear picture of the trend however this has to be looked at over a number of years.  The figures for violence against the person in Bridgend were 2002/03 - 2003 incidents; 2003/04 - 2023 incidents; 2004/05 - 1,960 incidents; 2005/06 - 1,990 incidents.  So although incidents have increased between 2007/08 the numbers are still lower than for the years between 2002 -2006. 

It is important to recognise that over half of all violent incidences involve no injury to the victim.  Violence against the person also ranges from domestic violence to drink fuelled late night drinking incidents.  At present there is considerable concern regarding knife crime. It is therefore interesting to note that weapons were used in just a quarter (24%) of violent crimes. Within this 24%, hitting implements were used, in 7% of violent crimes, knives in 6%, glasses/bottles in 4% and firearms in 1%. Males were twice as likely to be involved in incidences as women and the largest number of males were aged between 16-24.

I asked our local police Superintendent Tim Jones for information regarding the carrying of weapons.  I was told that so far this year there have been 9 incidences where a knife has been used to cause an injury, a high percentage of which were in domestic situations.  In the year to date there had been only one incident of a recorded offence of possession of a knife by a school child. Of total crime locally in 2008 offences involving harm by knife crime equates to 0.2% of all offences.  Contrast this with the 7,409 incidents and 20 deaths this year in London and Scotland where knife crime levels are said to be 31.2 times higher than in England and Wales. 

All crime is frightening.  All crime is deeply distressing to the victim of the crime.  We all are shocked and our confidence shaken if we or someone we know is a victim of crime. But we also need to know and accept that locally crime is well below the national average and our police are performing well.