Latest figures show expected effects of recession have not come about as risk of being crime victim reaches 30-year low

Crime fell by 7% in England and Wales during 2009 despite the recession, according to the latest set of crime figures, published today.

The dramatic drop in overall crime was accompanied by further falls in the levels of gun and knife crime, including a 21% fall in fatal stabbings.

The latest British Crime Survey (BCS) results show a 1% rise in violent crime, but Home Office statisticians said that this was not statistically significant and overall levels of violent crime remained stable.

Both the BCS and the number of offences recorded by police show a 7% fall in overall crime in 2009. The number of offences recorded by the police in 2009, 4.4m, represents a fall of 340,000 in the past year and is now below the crime level recorded in 1997 when Labour came to power.

The sharp fall means the strong upward pressure on the crime rate due to the effects of the recession expected by Home Office criminologists has been avoided. The long-term fall in the crime rate since 1995 is now one of the longest on record.

The biggest falls recorded by the police were in car crime (down 16%) and criminal damage (down 11%). On the BCS the largest falls were in theft from the person (down 21%) and burglary (down 12%).

The only category which saw an increase in the police figures was sexual offences, which rose 2%. There were falls in all other violence categories, including robbery, burglary, theft, fraud, car crime and criminal damage.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said the figures show that the risk of being a victim of crime, which stands at 22%, is now at its lowest for 30 years.

The figures also show that fear of crime and antisocial behaviour, which has long been out of kilter with the underlying long-term fall in the actual crime rate, is now going in the right direction. The percentage of people saying they see a high level of antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhood has fallen from 17% to 15% in the past year. The percentage who say they are "very worried" about violent crime is down from 14% to 13% and those who are "very worried" about burglary are down from 11% to 10%.

Six out of the seven indicators for antisocial behaviour show falls and only one, noisy neighbours, shows an increase. There is also increased confidence in the police in dealing with antisocial behaviour: 51% in 2009 said they dealt with crime issues that mattered to them locally, compared with 47% in 2008.

The 2% rise in sexual offences on the police figures represents an increase from 52,104 to 53,239, with most of the rise involving the most serious sexual offences.

Home Office research published alongside the figures shows that "acquisitive crime", such as burglary, car crime, robbery and theft, has fallen by half since 1995. It says improved security at home and in cars has been a key factor, as well as changes in behaviour by crime victims, with a quarter of all adults saying they no longer leave property on show in their car.

Keith Bristow, Acpo's head of crime, said: "The latest recorded crime statistics and British Crime Survey results show police and community safety partners are making communities safer.

"Police recorded crime figures for the 12 months to December 2009 show a reduction of 7% annually, while the British Crime Survey shows the risk of being a victim of crime is at the lowest level in almost 30 years."

The home secretary, Alan Johnson, challenged Chris Grayling, the Conservative home affairs spokesman, to admit that crime has been falling: "If we are going to have an honest debate on crime then we need Chris Grayling to finally accept what repeated surveys all confirm: that crime has fallen and is still falling.

"Labour has invested in record numbers of police, with neighbourhood policing teams in every area committed to spending 80% of time on the beat or visible in their community. We are committed to using CCTV and DNA technology to catch criminals and ensured longer prison sentences for those convicted of the most serious offences.

"That's a successful strategy for tackling crime – but one that the Tories and the Liberal Democrats would put at risk."

Grayling acknowledged there had been "some improvement" but continued to criticise Labour's approach: "Any improvement is obviously welcome, but we still live in a more dangerous country than when Labour came to power. The government has presided over a surge in violence, while Labour's target culture means the police spend more time on paperwork than on the beat.

"Knife crime remains a serious concern on our streets and Conservatives will make tackling it a priority. Too many families have their lives ruined by low-level crime and antisocial behaviour. This has got to change."