Crime in England and Wales fell sharply last year with an 8% drop recorded on police figures and a 5% reduction according to the official crime survey, the Office for National Statistics has said. Statisticians say the crime rate has halved since it peaked in 1995 and appears to be at its lowest level for more than 30 years.

The official 2012 statistics show that all the main categories of crime recorded by the police fell, with violence down 6%, robbery down 13% and burglary down 9%. The murder rate also continued to fall in 2012, down 4% from 577 to 552 homicides. Knife crime fell by 16%, including a fall in the number or rapes involving a knife from 246 to 191.

There was a 3% reduction in the number of sexual offences, but the ONS said the effect of Operation Yewtree, the inquiry launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, might mean more people coming forward to report historical sex abuse allegations.

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