March 2009 - Crime in the news

• 120 per cent rise in victims of knife crime

  The number of children admitted to NHS hospitals in London with knife wounds has risen dramatically between 2003 and 2008. [31 March 2009]

• Five arrested ahead of G20

  Five people in Plymouth have been arrested under the Terrorism Act. [31 March 2009]

• Anger over iPhone gun app

  Apple is accused of "glamourising gun crime" for an application that turns the iPhone into a gun. [31 March 2009]

• Two knife deaths

  Two men were stabbed to death over the weekend, one in London and one in Manchester. [30 March 2009]

• Social networkers group to find missing chef

  More than 10,000 people have joined a Facebook group to help find missing chef Claudia Lawrence. [30 March 2009]

• Hospitals help fight knife crime

  A scheme in Cardiff reduced knife crime by 40% after hospitals started sharing data with police. [30 March 2009]

• 50 arrested for fake ID production

  Spanish police have arrested more than 50 people, mostly British, for being part of a criminal organisation producing fake identity documents. [27 March 2009]

• 28 convictions for serial rapist

  Met police apologises for letting attacks occur. [27 March 2009]

• Duffy charged with soldiers' murder

  Colin Duffy was charged yesterday for the murders of the two sappers, Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar. [27 March 2009]

• Boat murder details emerge

  Linda Robertson was tied up while her husband was murdered on their yacht in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Thailand. [26 March 2009]

• Home of ex-RBS boss attacked

  A vigilante group attacked Sir Fred Goodwin's home and warned there would be more attacks. [26 March 2009]

• Three charged over murder, Duffy re-arrested

  A man will be charged today in connection with murder of PC Carroll. Colin Duffy was re-arrested for the sapper murders. [26 March 2009]

• Second charge for constable murder

  A 37-year-old man has been charged for the police murder in early March. [25 March 2009]

• Terror attack with chemical, dirty or nuclear is 'new risk'

  The Home Office has said that a terrorist attack is 'more realistic' as terrorists are more able to get hold of weapons because of failed states like Iraq. [25 March 2009]

• Credit crunch crimewave

  Crime in Scotland "soars" because of the recession, reports The Daily Record. [24 March 2009]

• New DNA technique

  Police forces across England and Wales will have access to a new DNA technique which can help separate multiple DNA samples. [24 March 2009]

• Teen charged with PC murder

  A 17-year-old will has been charged with PC Stephen Carroll's murder and being a member of the Continuity IRA. [24 March 2009]

• Scareware scam

  Fake anti-virus software is scaring people into installing fraudulent programs. [23 March 2009]

• Hung juries double

  The BBC reports that the number of hung juries in the UK has doubled since 2006. [23 March 2009]

• Hate crime against gay people 'forgotten'

  The Independent reports that hate crime against lesbians and gay men is a neglected issue. Crimes in London have increased by 5% in the past year and homophobic bullying in schools is rife. [23 March 2009]

• Online banking fraud doubles

  In 2008, cases of online banking fraud more than doubled, costing around £52.5 million in 2008 compared to £12.2 million in 2004. [20 March 2009]

• Fritzl gets life, says sorry

  Josef Fritzl was given a life sentence yesterday for the murder of his son and the enslavement and rape of his daughter. [20 March 2009]

• Fritzl jury decides

  The jury are considering the verdict for Josef Fritzl. [19 March 2009]

• Funeral for murdered sapper

  A funeral was held yesterday for Sapper Mark Quinsey who was murdered last week in Northern Ireland by the Real IRA. [19 March 2009]

• National fraud centre

  Fraud costs the UK around £14 billion per year. A new three-year strategy aims to protect businesses and consumers. [19 March 2009]

• Art thief jailed indefinitely

  Casey Miller threatened to kill a woman and a child during a robbery. Paintings by LS Lowry, worth £1.7m, were stolen and have never been recovered. [18 March 2009]

• Longest-serving prisoner may be released

  Sean Hodgson was jailed in 1982 for murder, he is expected to be released today in light of new DNA evidence. [18 March 2009]

• Manhunt for doorstep killer

  Lyndon Coles escaped from Kirklevington Prison on Sunday. He was convicted of shooting Shane George on his doorstep in 1994. [17 March 2009]

• Guns found near PC murder

  Two guns have been found near where PC Stephen Carroll was murdered. Crimestoppers and The Sun continue to offer £100,000 reward for information about the murders. [17 March 2009]

• Paedophile scheme expanded

  A scheme allowing parents to check police records of people who come into contact with their children is to be extended. [16 March 2009]

• Nine questioned over murders

  Nine people are being questioned over the murders in Northern Ireland last week. Crimestoppers and The Sun are offering a £100,000 reward for information. [16 March 2009]

• Two teenagers killed in London

  One teenager was shot and another was stabbed to death in London over the weekend. This brings the number killed in 2009 to five. [16 March 2009]

• Recession leads to business crime

  The BBC reports businesses are blaming the recession for a rise in crime in the last year. [13 March 2009]

• Man charged for gyrocopter death

  One man will appear before magistrates today, charged with murder, and another man has been released on bail. [12 March 2009]

• Knife statistics drop

  The Daily Mirror reports that the number of young people being treated for stab wounds has dropped, and that fewer young people are carrying knives. [11 March 2009]

• Crimestoppers launch hard-hitting anti-knife radio campaign

  A series of emotive anti-knife crime radio commercials by Crimestoppers, will be aired on Choice FM from today. [11 March 2009]

• Continuity IRA claims police officer death

  Constable Stephen Paul Carroll was shot last night after responding to a call for help. Continuity IRA have claimed responsibility for the murder. [10 March 2009]

• The demise of crime news

  The BBC comments on how crime news and investigative journalism has been overtaken by celebrity reporting. [10 March 2009]

• More cannabis factories

  According to a report by the BBC, the number of cannabis factories raided by police has increased three-fold in London and five-fold in the West Midlands. [10 March 2009]

• Real IRA takes responsibility for attacks

  The Real IRA is now claiming responsibility for the attack at Massereene army base that left two soldiers dead. [9 March 2009]

• Inquiry into domestic violence murder

  According to the BBC, an independent inquiry will look at the police response to the domestic abuse and death of Katie Summers. [9 March 2009]

• 1 in 5 think domestic violence is justified

  An Ipsos Mori survey reveals disturbing attitudes to domestic violence in the UK. [9 March 2009]

• Industrial cannabis operation shut down

  A cannabis factory with almost 2,000 plants has been shut down in Tyneside. [6 March 2009]

• One in three carry knives

  The Youth Justice board has found that one in three young people carry a knife or gun and a crime is committed by a young person every two minutes. [6 March 2009]

• Major City frauds exposed

  The Independent reports that a number of major trading frauds are being investigated by the police. [5 March 2009]

• Knox killer gets life; parents vow to fight knife crime

  Karl Bishop received a life sentence this morning for the murder of Harry Potter actor, Robert Knox. His parents have promised to raise awareness of knife crime so that he "did not die in vain". [5 March 2009]

• Fine for YouTube posting

  A man who posted a video of himslef growing cannabis on You Tube was fined £200. The 25-year-old even used his own name on the site. [4 March 2009]

• Loan sharks on the rise

  The recession has meant big business for loan sharks. [3 March 2009]

• Investigation into teen abuser

  The NSPCC has been called in to investigate social services' placement of a teenage sex offender with a family in the Vale of Glamorgan. [3 March 2009]

• Cash machine crime crackdown

  Crimestoppers join forces with the UK's cash machine network to fight fraud. [2 March 2009]

• Hardline Scottish knife policy a success

  The Solicitor General of Scotland has announced that their tough policy on knives has resulted in more than 600 arrests. [2 March 2009]

• Fear domestic violence is rising due to recession

  The Guardian reports that tensions rising from the credit crunch are leading to an increase in domestic violence. [4 March 2009]