--------------------+---------------------------------------+------- | Quinquennial averages. | Year Offence. +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+ 1913 |1873-77|1883-87|1893-97|1903-07|1908-12| --------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- Assaults, Malicious}| | | | | | Damage, Unlawful }|136,390|116,836|108,298| 85,193| 75,212| 71,124 Possession &c. }| | | | | | | | | | | | Ratio per 100,000 | | | | | | of population | 567·22| 429·22| 355·64| 250·65| 210·14| 192·65 --------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------- These three categories include all offences which are strictly 'criminal' in character. The great bulk of offences, which may involve commitment to Prison, are not strictly 'criminal.' The principal offences in this category are Drunkenness, Offences against Police Regulations, Bye-laws, Highways Acts and Education Acts. The following Table shows that the actual number of these offences rose continuously from 1873 to 1907. Between the latter date and 1913 there was a fall in the actual numbers, and relatively to population, the figure for 1913 (1649·99) showing a decrease of no less than 157·51 per 100,000 of the population, as compared with 1873-7:-- ------------------------+---------------------------------------+------- | Quinquennial Averages. | Year Offence. +-------+-------+-------+---------------+ 1913 |1873-77|1883-87|1893-97|1903-07|1908-12| ------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- Drunkenness |195,682|180,462|179,496|219,675|188,813|204,038 Education Acts, offences| | | | | | against | 18,320| 80,566| 64,924| 56,117| 40,763| 44,030 Highway Acts " " | 16,743| 18,847| 30,677| 47,313| 62,405| 76,011 Police Regulations, | | | | | | Bye-laws, breach of | 59,393| 62,028| 88,84 |131,600|100,842|106,509 Vagrancy | 15,193| 26,694| 25,228| 34,857| 41,267| 27,523 ------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+------- Total non-criminal | | | | | | offences |434,620|496,341|534,844|630,474|578,486|609,166 Ratio per 100,000 of | | | | | | population |1807·50|1823·39|1756·38|1854·94|1616·25|1649·99 ------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------