Even more worrying, more- accurate methods of counting crime are expected to reveal in the coming months that the true level of crime is as much as 40 percent higher than official figures have previously shown.

Crime is not just traumatic for its victims. It affects other aspects of everyday life. It is a political issue that threatens the reputations of government leaders if crime figures are not brought under control. Crime is a significant design-and-engineering issue, with high-tech consumer items, from the mobile phone to the family car, incorporating several layers of security as deterrents against theft.

Society struggles with the anything-goes attitude towards morality as it comes to terms with new statistics showing that one in 20 women in England and Wales say they have been raped at least once since age 16. Most of the victims say the attack was carried out by someone they knew, and most incidents went unreported. (Sources: Independent on Sunday, Daily Mail [both London].)