According to recent reports, British muggings and other robberies and sexual assaults on women rival U.S. rates.
England and Wales lead European crime statistics on car theft, burglary and general violence. European statistics show a 31 percent increase in crimes in England and Wales as recorded by police between 1987 and 1995, easily leading the rest of Europe. Somehow Scotland has escaped this grim increase, showing a 4 percent increase over the same period. A recent wave of muggings has particularly alarmed authorities.
Not much more than a generation ago Britain was the most civilized, relatively crime-free society on earth, a great place to live and bring up children. What has happened? (Sources: The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mail, The Birmingham Post, The Independent .)
