It's hard to measure crime, which can make news stories seem more worrying than they really are. We look past the headlines to explain the full picture.
Crime
Justice secretary Alex Chalk claimed that the number of full-time equivalent band 3-5 prison staff had increased by over 700 “since 30 June 2023”. Read
Crime
Michelle Donelan MP wrongly claimed the number of frontline prison officers has “increased by 20%” in the last year. Read
It is not illegal to drive in flip flops, but it is to drive carelessly or without control. Read
Tens of thousands of people have shared inaccurate information about the law on rescuing dogs from hot cars. Read
Online claims have been made about a section of Magna Carta that has been irrelevant for more than 800 years. Read
The PM and the policing minister have both made the claim in recent weeks, based on crime survey figures which don’t count fraud or computer misuse. Read
Crime
Newly released figures show the government has reached its target of recruiting 20,000 more police officers since 2019. This is roughly the same number of officers lost between 2010 and 2017. Read
Police chiefs in England and Wales are legally required to “have regard” to the code of practice, but aren’t legally required to follow everything in it—or more detailed associated guidance. Read
This is based on a misunderstanding of how the system works. The alert neither uses nor collects any personal data. Read
Multiple Facebook posts have claimed Charles Bronson’s parole bid has been successful and that he is due to be released from prison. Read
Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral online content can give you the full picture backed by the evidence.
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