Basildon MP Angela Smith tried to rubbish the Conservatives’ claim violent crime is on the increase.

Hardly a day goes by without the Echo reporting on at least one mugging or robbery with violence.

To state the increase is due to the way crimes are now being recorded is surely a contradiction to the way this Government works.

Any changes to the way statistics have been recorded over the past 12 years has been in order to show a decrease in numbers.

Take unemployment for example. Only those receiving benefit are counted. The many thousands of self-employed builders that do not qualify for benefits are not counted.

Yet they are still out of work.

Also, how many crimes are not reported and therefore not recorded, as people feel nothing will be done about it?

E Hart
The Lichfields
Basildon