Homicide additional information

Report: 9
Date: 12 June 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This paper supports the previous report on homicide submitted to the May PSPM meeting. The paper looks in detail at the means of death and the relationship between the victim and accused. Also explored is the length of time the investigation of homicide offences takes and the cost of homicide investigation to the MPS.

A. Recommendation

That members note the report.

B. Supporting information

1. During the financial year 2000/2001, there were 189 homicide offences. The number of homicide clear-ups during this year was 170, leading to a clear up rate of 89.9 per cent which exceeded our performance target of 89 per cent for 2000/2001. This clear up rate was a significant improvement on 1999/2000 when this rate reached 76.4 per cent (191 offences, 146 clear-ups). [1]

2. Homicide offences comprise of murder, manslaughter and infanticide, as detailed in the previous homicide report. Of the total 189 homicides committed during 2000/2001, 171 were classified as murders and 18 as manslaughter.

3. There are relatively few homicides each year, so conclusions about trends must be drawn with caution. However, the average number of homicides over the last 20 years has run at 172 per year, with a range from 135 (in 1983) up to 210 (in 1986). Both of the last two years have had above average numbers of homicides.

Means of death

4. For the purpose of this paper, the means of death of victims has been broken down into four separate categories, firearm, sharp instrument, blunt instrument and 'other'. Other means of death include instances such as deaths caused by falls to the ground, strangulation, carbon monoxide poisoning, punching, fire etc.

Chart 1 (see Supporting material) shows the breakdown for each of these categories for both 1999/2000 and 2000/2001.

5. As the chart illustrates during 2000/2001 the largest number of homicides were classified as being caused by a sharp instrument (38.1 per cent of the total homicides). This number has stayed the same as in 1999/2000. All means of death categories, with the exception of 'other', which reduced, experienced only a slight increase in the number of homicides that are committed from 1999/2000 recorded levels.

6. In a further breakdown of the homicides recorded during 2000/2001, the percentage of these homicides solved by 23/04/01 does differ according to the means of death. The categories of sharp instrument (81.9 per cent), blunt instrument (85.7 per cent) and 'other' (84.1 per cent) all had a high proportion of the homicides committed up to that date solved. However due to the nature of the crime, for homicides resulting from firearms only 25.9 per cent of these had been solved.

7. Of the total homicides recorded, 10 of these were the responsibility of SO1 base Trident, two of which were cleared up. After further investigation an additional three homicides were classified as "Trident murders" (one cleared up) and a further three homicides as being "Trident related murders" (one cleared up). Looking at the means of death of all 16 "Trident murders" and "Trident related murders" of which four were cleared up, all have been recorded as shootings.

The relationship between the victim and accused

8. For the purpose of this paper, the type of relationship is based on that between the victim and the first, or 'principal' accused, ('No Crime' figures have been excluded from the totals of 2000/2001).

9. Caution should be taken when examining relationships between victims and the accused, as the data rely solely on CRIS reporting and the information placed on this. The number of "none recorded" (38 offences) and "unresolved" (47) offences during 2000/2001 is relatively high and it is not known the impact a further breakdown of these would have on the other categories.

10. Taking this into account chart 2 (see Supporting material) illustrates the relationship groups for the accused for the financial years 1999/2000 and 2000/2001.

11. Of the total number of homicides where the offence was both solved and relationship between the victim and accused was known and recorded on the CRIS crime report, during both 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 the 'acquaintance' relationship category accounted for the largest number of homicides recorded (1999/2000: 35, 2000/2001: 34 offences).

12. The number of offences for each relationship category has remained relatively stable from 1999/2000 to 2000/2001. However, the most notable changes during this time can be seen within the categories of 'Neighbour', which has risen from eight homicides during 1999/2000 to 14 in 2000/2001. The number of homicides recorded within the category of 'Professional' has fallen from six to one during 2000/2001, with the 'Other' category also falling from 12 to four homicides in 2000/2001.

Homicides recorded during 2000/2001 by the means of death and victim/accused relationship

13. When examining Homicide offences recorded in 2000/2001, it is possible to cross-reference the means of death of the victim with the relationship that the accused had with the victim.

14. Once more caution should be taken, as before the data only applies to the relationship categories that were solved, known and recorded on CRIS crime reports. The data also only applies to those offences committed during 2000/2001 and which were solved during that same year.

15. Where known chart 3 (see Supporting material) identifies the breakdown by these factors.

16. Looking at the largest relationship category 'Acquaintance', 16 of the 34 homicides (47.1 per cent) recorded as such were committed using a sharp instrument. This also reflects the previous finding that the largest majority (38.1 per cent) of the total homicide offences committed are done by a sharp instrument.

17. It is also of note that of the five homicides committed during 2000/2001 using a firearm, which were both solved and the victim/accused relationship was recorded on CRIS, four were orchestrated by an 'Acquaintance'.

18. A sharp instrument was the largest recorded means of death for all relationship categories, with the exception of husband/wife (including ex and common law, and co-habitee). Only in these instances were the means of death of the victim likely to classified as 'other'. Examples of 'other' can be found in paragraph 4.

Length of time taken to record a homicide clear-up

19. When examining homicide reports it is possible to establish the length of time difference between the date that the offence was reported to police and the date that the clear up was input onto the CRIS report. It should be noted however, that this date might not be the actual date that the clear up of the offence took place, and only serves as a rough indication of the length of time each case took to solve.

20. Of the total 189 homicides during 2000/2001, 90 (47.6 per cent) were solved in less than one month, according to the difference between the date the offence was reported to the police and then entered as cleared-up on CRIS. Using this same calculation, another 24 of those committed during 2000/2001 were solved in one to two months.

21. The chart 4 shows a full breakdown of the total homicides, recorded during 2000/2001, which were solved and the time difference between the reporting of the offence to the police and the clear up date input onto CRIS.

Chart 4: Homicide recorded in 2000/01 and time taken to record a clear-up

22. From this chart, it is possible to see that the vast majority of homicides are cleared up in a relatively short period of time. In fact, 137 (72.5 per cent) of the total homicides committed during 2000/2001 were solved in less than 5 months. The number of cases recorded during that year which failed to be solved in that same year was only 47 offences.

23. It is also possible to break this 2000/2001 information down further into the four main means of death for homicide. The patterns identified above are evident in all four categories, particularly within firearm deaths. Of the seven firearm deaths solved during that year, three occurred within one month of reporting. When examining the homicides committed by a sharp instrument (previously identified as being used in the largest proportion of homicides) 41 were solved in less than one month, and 58 in fewer than 4 months. In fact only 13 homicides carried out using a sharp instrument during 2000/2001, failed to be solved during that year.

24. A full breakdown of the means of death in relation to the time taken to solve the offence can be found at Appendix 1.

International comparisons of homicide

25. Using the recently published Home Office document 'International comparisons of criminal justice statistics 1999' (Issue 6/01) it is possible to make a comparison of homicides recorded during 1997 to 1999 in London with those in those selected cities.

26. The report states that during 1997-1999 for the capital cities of the European Union the average number of homicides was 2.7 per 100,000 population. London however was shown as having a below average rate at 2.4 per 100,000. Amsterdam recorded the highest rates in the EU during this period of 5.4 homicides per 100,000 and Belfast at 5.2 per 100,000 population. Of all the major cities around the world, Washington DC recorded the highest level during the specified period at 50.8 homicides per 100,000 population. [2]

Costs of homicide investigation

27. The Serious Crime Group (SCG) includes 31 murder investigation teams, made up of 834 police and 182 civil staff, and 14 senior detectives (DCS and DSupts). The total cost of homicide investigation amounts to £50.3M per annum.

28. Homicide investigation costs are summarised below:

29. In his February 2000 report Policing London – Winning Consent (para 12.97) the HMIC

"concludes that the MPS does not resource its murder investigations to the same level as provincial forces. He estimates that the MPS's initial allocation of staff to a murder investigation is no more than half that of provincial forces. Whilst acknowledging the difficulties facing the MPS in staffing to the provincial level he believes that this disparity reduces the opportunity for the MPS to more quickly detect murders."

30. The MPS has responded to issues raised by HMIC and in March 2000, the SCG was formed. SCG now comprises three command areas and includes Operation Trident (established June 2000). This brings all areas of homicide investigation under a single central command. Resourcing and staffing of homicide investigation has not increased since September 1999.

31. HMIC undertook a re-inspection of the MPS during early 2001 and examined the extent that issues previously raised had been addressed. A full report detailing all recommendations is due for publication towards the end of June 2001.

C. Financial implications

None.

D. Background papers

• PIB Crime Unit: Monthly Homicide Report FY 2000/2001, and Home Office 'International Comparisons of Criminal Justice Statistics 1999' by Gordon Barclay, Cynthia Tavares & Arsalaan Siddique, Issue 6/01

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Cath Kitching and Laura Parry, MPS Corporate Performance Analysis Unit, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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