- More than 285,000 crimes went unrecorded by police in England and Wales last year, despite an overall recording rate of 94.8 per cent.
- His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found the recording of anti-social behaviour offences to be ‘unacceptably low’, with only 51.9 per cent of targeted incidents documented.
- The watchdog urged forces to improve the recording of crimes disproportionately affecting women and girls, such as harassment, stalking, and coercive control, which constitute 37.9 per cent of unrecorded violent crime.
- HMICFRS noted that only 78 per cent of crimes are recorded within 24 hours on average, with some forces taking over a week to document most offences.
- It stressed the importance of accurate and timely crime recording to build public trust, ensure victims receive support, and facilitate prompt investigations, despite overall improvements.
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