Exposed: More Tory misuse of crime stats

Good Society

Following Chris Grayling's manipulation of crime stats this week, it has emerged that backbench Tory MPs are doing the same off their own backs.

Following Chris Grayling’s very public slap on the wrist for manipulating crime statistics yesterday, it has emerged that it is not only the Shadow Home Secretary engaging in sharp practice – backbench Tory MPs are doing the same off their own backs.

As far back as last autumn, long before Grayling’s memos to Tory candidates, Putney MP Justine Greening falsely claimed on her blog that there had been a “burglary rise locally”, writing “locally we’ve recently also seen burglaries rise which is very concerning indeed”.

The statistics, however, tell a very different story: The burglary rate in every single ward in Putney fell in the year to October 2009.

And in July, she said:

“We’ve recently seen a large increase in burglaries”

The stats, again, prove her wrong – from May 2007 to July 2009 the burglary rate in Putney fell from more than 15 burglaries per thousand of the population to less than 10.

Earlier this week, Left Foot Forward reported Grayling’s ignorance on the inclusion of under-16s in the British Crime Survey, following the BBC’s eposé of his misrepresentation of crime statistics and his disastrous appearance on the Today programme.

• Hat tip: Stuart King

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17 Responses to “Exposed: More Tory misuse of crime stats”

  1. What broken society? « Freethinking Economist

    […] Much of the stuff covered in the article – such as declining crime stats – was no doubt covered in previous posts.  In brief, when confronted with falling Crime stats, the dissenters say they are made up, in some way or another, and in such a way that they are more made up now, so that we have had a decline.  I doubt we will ever agree.  If anything, the Right seem to be doing more manipulating of stats, including my own MP. […]

  2. Look Left – The Week in Fast Forward | Left Foot Forward

    […] in the British Crime Survey and that the murder and manslaughter have both decreased; and today, we exposed Tory MP Justine Greening for her false claims on burglaries in […]

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