Crime is falling in England and Wales at an accelerating rate, according to figures from police forces published yesterday.

Crime recorded by police fell by 7 per cent, from 5.46 million offences in 2006 to just over 5.04 million in 2007.

Last year’s fall in recorded crime was helped by a drop of 12 per cent in the last three months of the year, from 1.36 million to 1.20 million. It was the biggest single quarterly fall in recorded crime in five years and came after a 9 per cent fall in the third quarter of 2007 compared with same period in 2006.

If the fall is sustained over the next year, the Government could enter the next general election with the number of offences below five million for the first time since 1999.

But yesterday’s figures show that firearms offences rose by 4 per cent last year to 9,967 although gun deaths fell by 13 per cent to 49. Two thirds of firearms offences were committed in Greater Manchester, London and the West Midlands.

Drug offences also jumped by 20 per cent to 58,000, which the Home Office said was a result of cannabis warnings introduced after the drug was downgraded to Class C category. Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, hailed the figures as excellent and promised action to deal with violent offending and gun crime.

Opposition politicians criticised the increase in gun crime and the overall increase in violent offending since Labour came to power.

Marian FitzGerald, Visiting Professor of Criminology at Kent Crime and Justice Centre, University of Kent, said: “Crime is broadly stable but violent crime and serious violent crime has been increasing as the Government itself has acknowledged with its recently announced violent crime action plan.”

Serious violence against the person including murder, attempted murder and serious wounding, fell by 15 per cent to 3,900. Violence in which there was less serious injury fell by 11 per cent to 104,000.

Domestic burglaries fell by 5 per cent from 76,000 to 72,000 and offences against vehicles by 19 per cent, from 196,000 to 159,000.

Separate figures published from the British Crime Survey, which is based on interviews of people over 16, suggested that crime had fallen by 6 per cent in 2007. This included a 7 per cent decrease in “personal crime” such as violence.

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Violent crime has doubled under this Government. The latest figures show that drug and gun crime continue to rise.”

Ian Johnston, spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “It is particularly pleasing to see that there has been a reduction in firearms offences that are involved in fatal and serious injuries.”

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