The cynics amongst us might say that crime numbers are dropping because the way that crimes are counted has been changed. Or because people aren't reporting crimes any more because they're scared that the Hoodies will beat them up on the way to the police station. Or that the police will shoot them on their way to the police station.

After all, they're only statistics.... and who needs them when you've got such trustworthy standard-bearing objective publications as the Daily Mail, the Express, and the red-tops around to tell us the real truth?