Crime in the United Kingdom

The Telegraph states that crime in the United Kingdom is high and climbing,

The UK had a greater number of murders in 2007 than any other EU country – 927 – and at a relative rate higher than most western European neighbours, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

...A breakdown of the statistics, which were compiled into league tables by the Conservatives, revealed that violent crime in the UK had increased from 652,974 offences in 1998 to more than 1.15 million crimes in 2007.

It means there are over 2,000 crimes recorded per 100,000 population in the UK, making it the most violent place in Europe.

Austria is second, with a rate of 1,677 per 100,000 people, followed by Sweden, Belgium, Finland and Holland.

By comparison, America has an estimated rate of 466 violent crimes per 100,000 population.

France recorded 324,765 violent crimes in 2007 – a 67 per cent increase in the past decade – at a rate of 504 per 100,000 population.

Comparing statistics from different sources or countries can be difficult as mentioned in the article. Murder figures are more useful comparators as they are less likely to be coded differently.

Nevertheless it seems as if crime is very high in the UK. London has the most closed circuit television (CCTV) in the world. CCTV is on the rise here and probably elsewhere. We can now all be filmed multiple times per day with the claim that it prevents and helps catch crime, but clearly it isn't working.