The BCS showed a 14 percent decline in overall crime between 1995 and 1997. Burglary fell by 7 percent, violence by 17 percent, and vehicle theft by 25 percent. There were four times as many crimes against private property as violent crimes. Of BCS crimes that could be compared to recorded offenses, only about 25 percent ended up in police records because less than half were reported to the police and only about half of those reported were recorded. According to the BCS, risk of crime was highest for young people, the unemployed, single parents, private renters, and those living in inner city areas and in areas of high physical disorder. Detailed data are provided on trends in overall crime, property crime, and violent crime between 1995 and 1997, and BCS and recorded crime trends between 1981 and 1997 are compared. Additional tables, information on the survey design and methods, and BCS and police crime counts are appended. 37 references, 49 tables, and 34 figures