[Stuart]

But Derek, figures are something the Government can point to and say they are solving crime. The fact the coppers are spending more and more time filling out forms detailing every last detail of what they do, and probably less and less actually helping cut crime, and the fact the the figures the government presents may or may not represent* actual crime statistics is irrelevant..

* I spent years in Exports. I know that the published export figures bore little resemblance to what was happening in the market. I suspect it's the same for most (if not all) government figures.