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Crime hits record low in England
A total of 8.6 million offences were committed last year according to the official Crime Survey of England and Wales following a nine per cent fall.
It is the lowest level since the survey began in 1981 and is the first time estimated crime has dropped below the nine million mark.
Offences recorded by the police, which are measured separately, were also at their lowest for at least a decade with falls across almost every category of crime.
David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said the country was getting safer and praised the police for doing more with less resources.
But rank and file leaders said the way some crimes are recorded may mask the true picture.
Police chiefs and national statisticians also warned the nature of offending is changing with more opportunities to target victims online.
Fraud offences were up 27 per cent last year, mainly driven by internet-based scams.
Deputy chief constable Jeff Farrar, head of crime and statistics at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said: “Criminals are adopting new tactics and crime is moving away from more traditional forms to the online world.
“We recognise the challenges ahead and remain resolutely committed to protecting the public which we serve but I suspect the full effect of the cuts has not yet been truly felt."
The CSEW, published by the Office for National Statistics, is considered a better reflection of crime rates because it picks up on offences that victims do not bother reporting to the police.
The fall in overall crime included a six per cent fall in violence to 1.9 million attacks and a 10 per cent fall in household crime such as burglary and vandalism.
However, police recorded crime also fell by seven per cent to 3.7 million offence in the year to March 2013.
That is lowest figure since 1988 although the statistics are not comparable because of changes in recording practices in 2002.
Criminologists have argued over reasons for the downward trends but one key theory has been better car and house security has reduced what was once large volume offending such as break-ins and thefts.
However thefts from the person, such as pickpocketing and snatch thefts, continue to rise (up nine per cent in the police figures) because of the attraction of hi-tech personal items like smart phones and lap tops.
Speaking during a visit to Hammersmith police station in west London, Mr Cameron said: “I think we should congratulate the police. As a Government we have asked them to do more with less resources. They have performed, I think, magnificently and I think all the work that has gone into crime prevention has helped as well.
"This is good news, that Britain is getting safer as well as stronger."
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, said: “These statistics show that our police reforms are continuing to deliver results across the country with falls in crime in every police force in England and Wales.”
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, echoed the praise of police but warned "worrying evidence" suggested the service was being hollowed out.
Javed Khan, chief executive of the charity Victim Support, said the year-on-year fall in crime was "encouraging" but pointed to "some clear areas for concern", including the increase in thefts from the person.
Steve Williams, chairman of the Police Federation, said: “We remain concerned that due to the vast changes in crime recording over the last ten years it is impossible to make a true comparison of the statistics.”
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