Crime in England and Wales falls 6% Crime statistics show a 14% fall in the murder rate in the year to June 2012. Crime in England and Wales has fallen by a further 6% in the past year and the chances of becoming a crime victim are at their lowest since the early 1980s, according to the latest set of official figures. The surprise overall fall in crime was more than matched by a 14% drop in the murder rate, down to 545 homicides in the 12 months to June 2012. This is a significant fall from a peak of 800 a year, excluding the 172 attributed to Harold Shipman, seen in the early years of this century. The 6% fall in crime reported in the latest quarterly figures by both the Crime Survey for England and Wales and the separate police recorded crime figures means that crime has now dropped by more than 50% since it peaked in the mid-1990s. Government statisticians say it is too early to conclude that the latest fall to 9.1m offences estimated by the crime survey - following a fairly flat trend since the coalition came to power - is evidence that the longest downward trend in crime since the second world war has now resumed. The less authoritative police recorded crime figures suggest it might have by continuing a clear downward trend. Police recorded crime is now a third lower than in 2002-2003 at 3.9m offences. The fall in crime flies in the face of widely held expectations that the continuing recession and rising long-term unemployment would lead to upward pressures on crime, as has happened in some previous recessions. The latest Office for National Statistics quarterly crime figures show falls across nearly all categories of crime, including substantial falls in violent crime, robberies - down to their lowest level for 10 years - vandalism, car crime and burglary with entry. The only category to show an increase was theft from the person, including pickpocketing, which showed a 6% rise. The fall in crime includes thefts relating to plastic cards and online banking with the chance of being a victim of this kind of fraud falling from 5.1% to 4.7% of plastic card owners. Police recorded 2.5m offences of anti-social behaviour in the 12 months to June, but a change in classification means it is not possible to say whether the recent downward trend has continued. The crime survey also shows there were 877,000 crimes experienced by children aged 10 to 15 in the 12 months to June. Just over half of these were violent and most of the rest were theft of personal property. About 14% of children in this age group said they had been a victim of crime. This data has only been collected since 2009 and the statisticians say it is too early to make year-on-year comparisons. Deputy chief constable Douglas Paxton, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the overall crime reductions had been achieved at a time when police forces were facing significant cash savings. "The latest crime statistics show police are continuing to reduce crime and maintain public confidence," he said. The crime prevention minister, Jeremy Browne, welcomed the figures, saying that crime was falling and the chances of becoming a victim of crime were now at their lowest since the crime survey began in 1981. Chief constables are rising to the challenge of making efficiency savings and providing greater value for money. We have swept away central targets and reduced police bureaucracy. This shows that how the police are deployed, rather than their absolute numbers, is what is key to cutting crime," Browne said. There are still areas of local concern, which is why we are making police more accountable, through the election of police and crime commissioners on 15 November. This will mark the most significant democratic reform of policing in our lifetime, placing power back in the hands of the people and giving them a proper say in how their local area is policed.