Police-recorded crime has increased by almost a 10th, fuelled by rises in homicides, knife-related offences, robberies and theft.

Official figures show forces in England and Wales registered a total of 5.6 million offences in the year to June.

Police-recorded crime in England & Wales
(PA Graphics)

This was a rise of 9% compared with the previous 12 months, and it is the highest total for police-recorded crime since the year ending March 2005.

The data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a 14% increase in police-recorded homicide offences, from 630 to 719.

These figures exclude the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.

There were also jumps in the numbers of recorded robberies (up 22%), sexual offences (up 18%), vehicle-related theft (up 7%) and burglaries (up 2%).

Crime figures graphic
(PA Graphics)

Statisticians said the increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police does not necessarily mean the level of crime has increased.

The other measure used to track levels of offending, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), showed most types of crime have stayed at similar levels to the previous year, including violence.

However, estimates drawn from the survey did show an 8% increase in theft compared with the previous year.

Joe Traynor from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice said: “Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has been more stable.

“The latest figures show no change in the total level of crime but variation by crime types.

“We saw rises in some types of theft and in some lower-volume but higher-harm types of violence, balanced by a fall in the high-volume offence of computer misuse.

Police-recorded homicides, by region
(PA Graphics)

“There was no change in other high-volume offences such as overall violence, criminal damage and fraud.

“To put today’s crime survey figures into context, only two out of 10 adults experienced crime in the latest year.”

Concerns over serious violence intensified this year after a spate of fatal stabbings and shootings, with London in particular badly hit by bloodshed.

In the latest period, the number of recorded homicides – which includes murder, manslaughter and infanticide –  continued an “upward trend”  since March 2014, indicating a change to the long-term decrease over the previous decade, according to the ONS report.

The number of offences registered as involving a knife or sharp instrument, 39,332, was the highest since the year ending March 2011, when comparable records started.

The majority of police forces recorded a rise in such offences, while admissions to hospital for assaults involving a sharp instrument are also tracking upwards.

The ONS added vehicle offences, burglary and robbery are thought to show “genuine” increases.

Crime figures graphic
(PA Graphics)

There was a 5% decrease in police-recorded offences involving firearms.

Meanwhile, separate Home Office data showed 8.7% of recorded offences resulted in a charge or summons.

In 46.6% of cases, the investigation was completed without a suspect being identified. This percentage was down slightly year-on-year.

Earlier this year, analysis by the Press Association found forces closed hundreds of thousands of residential burglary, vehicle theft and shoplifting investigations without identifying any suspect.

The latest figures sparked fresh scrutiny of police and Government efforts to tackle serious violence and other crime types.

A recent report from Whitehall’s spending watchdog warned arrest rates and victim satisfaction levels are on the slide, and flagged up reductions in the percentage of crimes resulting in charges.

Last week, one of the country’s most senior officer said policing has reached its “tipping point”, with slower emergency responses, more crimes dealt with over the phone and fewer offenders brought to justice.

Labour described the ONS statistics as “truly shocking” and accused the Tories of “failing in their duty to protect the public and keep our citizens safe”.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: “These figures are a tragic indictment of this Tory government’s policies.”

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “It didn’t take a crystal ball to predict these shocking increases because they only reflect what we have been telling Government for years – we need more boots on the ground.”

Policing Minister Nick Hurd said: “This government is determined to tackle all types of crime – and although the chance of being a victim remains low, we are taking decisive action in a number of areas.

“To combat serious violence our strategy addresses the root causes of crime with a focus on early intervention and we have announced a new £200m Youth Endowment Fund to support young people at risk of involvement in crime.

“On top of this, we are consulting on a public health approach to serious violence and giving police extra powers to tackle knife crime through our Offensive Weapons Bill.

“We also recognise the demand on police, which is why the Home Secretary has said he will prioritise police funding in the Spending Review.”

Chief Constable Bill Skelly, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for crime recording and statistics, said: “Rising crime is placing greater demand on policing as forces strive to reduce crime as well as respond to a growing terrorist threat and more calls from the public for help, including responding to people in crisis when other agencies lack their own capacity.”