Crime link to migrants rejected
A police report says the wave of immigrants from eastern Europe to the UK has not caused a rise in crime.
A police report says the wave of immigrants from eastern Europe to the UK has not caused a rise in crime.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will be presented with the study when she meets senior police officers on Thursday, according to reports.
The report, prepared for the Association of Chief Police Officers, shows that offending rates among Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants are in line with the rest of the UK population.
Despite one million people moving to Britain from countries new to the EU, police figures show crime fell by 9% in the year to September 2007.
The study, based on police data from England and Wales, says that new migrants might be more likely to commit certain types of crimes.
Among Poles this is drink-driving, and some Romanians have used their children to commit theft.
It calls for new measures to share information with eastern European countries on less serious crimes such as domestic violence.
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