Homicide: year ending December 2017

Homicide
The term ‘homicide’ covers the offences of murder, manslaughter and infanticide.

Murder and manslaughter
Murder and manslaughter are common law offences that have never been defined by statute, although they have been modified by statute.

Corporate manslaughter
Where an organisation is deemed responsible for a person’s death. Created by the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

Infanticide
Defined as the killing of a baby under one year old by their mother while the balance of her mind was disturbed as a result of giving birth. Created by the Infanticide Act 1922 and refined by the Infanticide Act 1938 (section 1).

Death by driving offences
Include death by dangerous driving, careless or inconsiderate driving, driving under the influence of drink or drugs and while being an unlicensed or uninsured driver.

A comprehensive guide to crime types and definitions can be found in the User Guide to Crime Statistics for England and Wales.

This page is part of our quarterly crime collection, which relies on two main sources of data.

Crime Survey of England and Wales
The Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) is a survey which asks people whether they have been victims of a crime over the past 12 months.

Police recorded crime
Crime that has been reported to the police, and recorded as part of police casework.

Police recorded crime data are not designated as National Statistics.

More information on both these sources can be found in the User guide to crime statistics for England and Wales.

More information on the methodology can be found in the Crime in England and Wales Quality and Methodology Information report.

Strengths and limitations of the data
The Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) has been consistent since 1981 and is the best source to use when looking at trends over time. It is also a better measurement of crimes which are less likely to be reported to the police, such as sexual offences.

Police recorded crime is a good measure for understanding how much work police forces are carrying out. It can be affected by changes in policing practices and victims’ willingness to report crime.

Police recorded crime is not a useful way to monitor crime trends, and we do not recommend using it for this. Police recorded crime data are not designated as National Statistics.

Time periods covered
The Crime Survey for England and Wales data on this page are based on interviews conducted between January 2017 and December 2017, measuring peoples’ experiences of crime in the 12 months before the interview.

The police recorded crime figures relate to crimes recorded by the police during the year ending December 2017 (between January 2017 and December 2017).

“Latest year” (or “latest survey year”) refers to the (survey) year ending December 2017.
“Previous year” (or “previous survey year”) refers to the (survey) year ending December 2016.

Using the Home Office Homicide Index
Home Office Homicide Index data will differ from the police recorded data used on this page.

Police recorded crime data on homicide represent the recording decision of the police based on the available information at the time the offence comes to their attention.

Homicide Index data take account of the charging decision and court outcome in cases that have gone to trial. It is not uncommon for offences initially recorded as murder by the police to be charged or convicted as manslaughter at court.