CRIME IN BRITAIN.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20564, 4 June 1932, Page 16

CRIME IN BRITAIN.

HOME SECRETARY'S REVIEW. CONTRIBUTORY ' CAUSES. (fbom our ottjj coerespondent.) LONDON, April 21. Striking figures, showing the increase in recent years in the more serious crimes affecting life and property, were given by the Home Secretary, Sir Herbert Samuel, in the House of Commons. The debate was in connexion with a vote of £304,123 for the Home Office. Of the more serious crimes—indictable offences —known to the police per 1,000,000 of the population there were on the average, in the years immediately preceding the war, 2/00. After the war, in 1921, the number was ex- ! actly the same; but in 1929, the figure increased to 3400, and in 1930 to 3700 —a very marked increase. The worst classes of crime showing an increase were burglaries and breakings in. Jn tlio Metropolitan Police District, taking, not the figures per 1,000,000, but the actual, figures, in 1913 there were 3000 cases; in 1921 the figures had risen to 3900; and in 1923 they had fallen slightly to 3500. In 1929 the figure was 4600, in 1930 it wad 5700, and in 1931 it was 8000; so that there had been a doubling of tliis particular c'.Vss of offence in tlio Metropolitan Police District, a very grave feature of the present situation. ° Statistics itt regard to murders might best be on the basis of murders known to the police, excluding murders of infants under one year of age, which were in a special case. The numbers in 1913 in England and Wales were 111; 1921, 90; 1930, 86. There was a considerable increase in 1931, bringing tlio number up to 109, which, however, was slightly less than the pre-war figure, and as there had been a considerable increase in tlio population since then, the present figure was not of itself really of an alarming character, although, of course, any statistics of this kind must bo most regrettable. With regard to juvenile crime tlio most important factor related to Hie more serious offences, and the best statistics that could be given related to Die indictable offences tried in tlio juvenile courts. The figureß ycrc: In 1913, 12,900; 1921, 10,400; 1929, 10,400; and in 1930, 11,100. Figures for 1331 had not vet been collected.

Causes of Crime. As to the causes of such movements, opposite tendencies had been at work, some in a favourable and some in an unfavourable direction. There had been on the part of this nation in the past two generations a very intensive effort towards social improvement, the results of which wero satisfactory, in themsolves, though, far less than the needs of tho community required. Those were the favourable factors, but of recent years there had been counteracting and unfavourable factors. The war and the consequences of the war were the first of these. Over tho conn•try the norma] family life was broken up over a period of years. No less important, teachers in the schools were depleted in numbers and their influence on the children lessened. Now one .saw the results of that relaxation of control of tho children in that generation in a crop of thpse who were now young men of 25 and i) 0 years, who constituted the most difficult part of our present class of offender^. A second cause in recent years was the economic depression. A chart showed exactly how, as employment rose arid foil, crime rose and fell. A further and a minor cause contributing to the increase of certain classes of crime was the use of the motor-ear.• Some thought the cinema was another contributing factor, .but there was much division of opinion oh that. His very expert advisers at the . Home Office were of the opinion that on the whole the cinema contributed more to the prevention of crime than to its commission. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) It kept boyß out of mischief and gave them something to think about. In general, Home Office opinion was that-if the cinema had never existed there would probably be more crime than there was rather than less. (Hear, hear.) Ho was far from saying that it was not necessary to raise the standard of tho films produced. (Hear, hear.)