Violent crime – as it is recorded by the police – includes robbery, sexual offences and ‘Violence against the person’ offences, such as assault and murder. However, most recorded violent crime is low-level thuggery, while the UK has one of the lowest murder rates amongst the European Union, with London being below average for EU capital cities. Government Offices have an active role in the effort to continue bringing down the level of violent crime, which has fallen by 35 per cent since its peak in 1995.
More information on the national picture
Serious violence covers a wide range of offences, including homicide and serious wounding, offences involving weapons, domestic violence, hate crime and serious sexual offences including rape. These crimes are extremely rare, yet when they do occur they cause significant harm, both to individual victims and their families in terms of physical injury and psychological trauma, and to society more widely in terms of fear.
Alcohol consumption is a factor in violent crime and low level aggression and in nearly half (45%) of all violent incidents, victims believed offenders to be under the influence of alcohol.
In 2006/07 the recorded violence against the person crime rate in the East Midlands region was 17 offences per 1000 population which was slightly better than the average for England and Wales. However there is significant variation within the region with key challenges being faced in the major urban areas.
The Tackling Violent Crime Programme works intensively with practitioners in a small number of areas with significant levels of violent crime and alcohol related disorder. The programme assists the police and local authorities to use powers and interventions that ensure licensed premises and off licenses take responsibility for alcohol related disorder and responsible drinking while at the same time the programme can offer practical help and advice to keep vulnerable people safe at night in town centres.
GOEM will continue to work with partnerships to roll out good practice to tackle domestic and sexual violence and to ensure that local agencies work closely together to identify those individuals and their children who are at risk of serious injury. Key action will include:
- Extending the number of specialist domestic violence courts to ensure that sensitive domestic violence related cases can be heard in a safe and protected court environment.
- Rolling out the number of Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) in order to reduce repeat incidents of domestic violence to high risk victims.
- Supporting the provision of independent advisory services to victims of sexual and domestic violence.
- Supporting Sexual Assault Referral centres to ensure that victims have access to immediate care and support and to improve the gathering of forensic evidence.
