Is drop in crime simply the result of recording changes?

THE news that crime has fallen yet again is welcome, but only if a true comparison is being made year on year.

As a former police officer I can speak from experience on these matters, the recording rules are set by the current Home Office by the government of the day who as usual want to look good and can change the rules to do so.

The rules, as I first knew them, for example were that if someone stole a cheque book and used say 20 of the cheques fraudulently that was 21 crimes or if someone burgled say five houses on the same night in the same vicinity, that was five crimes. Some time later under a new government we, the police, were told to record similar events as one continuing crime in relation to the cheque offence and one continuing burglary, so on paper crime was cut at a stroke when actually it wasn't.

I do not know the current recording system but doubt in the light of figures released today that it has reverted to the system I first worked under. If I'm wrong then I will be mighty pleased at the results, perhaps you could chase this matter up and enlighten your readers.