Fall in crime 'may be exaggerated'
Violent crime makes headlines but overall crime against adults fell in the 12 months to September 2012
A study of crime trends in England and Wales suggests the fall in offences recorded by police may have been exaggerated.
The Office for National Statistics said the "rate of reduction" in recorded crime "may overstate" the decrease.
It found police-recorded offences fell by 33%, compared with 17% by data.
The ONS also published crime figures for the 12 months to the end of September 2012, which showed continued falls in virtually every category.
The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said police recorded 7% fewer crimes than the year before, while the Crime Survey of England and Wales indicated there had been a "statistically significant" fall of 8%.
'Informal pressure'ONS statistician John Flatley said the bigger falls in police-recorded crimes may be due to pressures to meet targets on crime reduction and detections.
"It's more the culture and informal pressure of having targets and expectations," he said.
Other possible reasons for under-recording suggested by the ONS include more low-level crimes being dealt with informally and outside the formal crime recording system, with officers given greater discretion.
Mr Flatley said it was also "possible" that reductions in police budgets and officers meant fewer offences were being recorded.
He said as resources were more stretched the "balance shifts" to less compliance with crime-recording systems.
Crime Prevention Minister Jeremy Browne said: "Crime continues to fall under this government...and is now at the lowest level since the survey began.
"Police reform is working. We have swept away central targets, reduced bureaucracy and these figures show forces are rising to the challenge of doing more with less. Many have achieved significant reductions in crime with reduced budgets.
"We are improving the relationship between the police and the public through the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners, which are giving the public a direct say in local policing for the first time, and we have established the College of Policing to enhance police professionalism and set the highest standards of integrity."
The Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on statistics, Deputy Chief Constable Douglas Paxton, said: "Public confidence in the police has also remained steady with 62% of people stating they believe that the police in their local area are doing a good or excellent job.
"The service remains determined to build on the good work reflected in these publications and the results are a credit to those officers and staff who have faced the challenge of major efficiencies while continuing to tackle crime in our communities."
BBC News
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