Knife crime: perception v reality To understand the apparent mismatch between the official crime rate and public fears, government must look at the bigger picture /guardian.co.uk, July 18 2008

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/18/knifecrime1?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

"The disclaimer on page one said it all. "These statistics on crime in England and Wales are prepared by staff of the Government Statistical Service under the National Statistics Code of Practice," it stated. "They are produced free from political interference." The government believes it has a good news story to tell about crime. According to the authoritative British Crime Survey (BCS), crime has fallen by 10% in the past year. It has halved since the mid-1990s. The risk of becoming a victim has also fallen significantly."