The collective term "Recorded Crime" refers to notifiable offenses recorded by the police. These offenses cover a wide range of crimes, from homicide to minor thefts and damage. In the 12 months ending September 1999, the police in England and Wales recorded 5.2 million offenses. The trend in recorded offenses shows a 2.2-percent increase compared to the previous 12 months. This increase follows five consecutive decreases for year-ending September figures. The majority of crimes recorded were property offenses (burglary, theft, fraud and forgery, and criminal damage). These offenses accounted for 4.4 million or 84 percent of all recorded crime and include 1,072,200 thefts of and from vehicles and 464,400 domestic burglaries. Violent crimes (violence against the person, sexual offenses, and robbery) accounted for 13 percent (663,800) of all offenses recorded during this period. Of the 551,400 offenses of violence against the person, 179,500 were common assaults. Of the remaining 194,500 other notifiable offenses, 129,800 were drug related, 21,700 were public order offenses, and 9,400 involved obstruction of justice. 6 figures and 5 tables