Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on levels of crime.

The National Police Chiefs Council reported on its website on 15 April 2020 that provisional data from police forces in England and Wales shows a reduction in crime during Coronavirus outbreak and that the vast majority of the public are following government regulations enacted in response to the crisis. NPCC chair Martin Hewitt said that: “With reductions in crime, policing is in a strong, resilient position due to the brilliant commitment of officers and staff and the extra hours of our police volunteers.”

Police recorded crime statistics and Crime Survey of England and Wales data covering March 2020 will be released in July.