Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons why the number of criminal charges in England and Wales reduced by 11 per cent while the number of recorded crimes rose by 21 per cent between 2014 and 2017; and if he will make a statement.

The likelihood of a crime resulting in a charge can vary for a number of reasons, including the complexity or severity of an offence or the difficulty in identifying a suspect.

Changes in charge rates are likely to be the result of a combination of improved crime recording by the police and forces taking on more complex crimes which take longer to receive an outcome, such as domestic abuse or sexual offences.

The statistics show that there has been a societal shift towards victims reporting ‘hidden’ crimes to the police and we welcome that more victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence are feeling empowered to come forward.

We recognise that demand on the police is changing. We have responded positively by providing a strong and comprehensive settlement that is increasing total investment in the police system by over £460m in 2018/19. This includes £50m for Counter-Terrorism, £130m for national priorities and £280m in force funding from increases in Council Tax precept income.