According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of crimes recorded by police in England and Wales fell by 8 per cent in 2020.
Firearm specific offences fell by 11 per cent during that period and knife crime dropped by 9 per cent. However, incidents involving domestic abuse increased by 7 per cent, along with fraud involving online shopping.
Coronavirus restrictions changed patterns of fraud. There was a 38 per cent increase in fraud related to online shopping and auctions, while ticketing fraud dropping by 68 per cent as music gigs and festivals were cancelled across the country.
Experts believe that the fluctuation in crime rates throughout the year was largely due to periods of lockdown.
There were substantial falls in recorded crimes between April and June when the first lockdown took place. Crime increased again from July to September as restrictions were eased, and then fell again when further lockdown measures were put in place in the final months of the year.
The closure of non-essential shops and the fact many people were confined to their homes means that there was a 26 per cent fall in thefts, including a 42 per cent drop in thefts from the person, 29 per cent reduction in shoplifting and a 24 per cent fall in burglary.
Homicides fell by 12 per cent in 2020, although the decline was impacted by the 2019 incident when 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in Essex after they were trafficked into the UK. Excluding that, the fall in deaths caused by another person was 6 per cent, with 625 offences during the year.
Sexual offences recorded by the police fell by 7 per cent in 2020 compared with the previous year, while rape offences dropped by 6 per cent to 55,632.
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