Community care does not increase homicide risk in UK

Fears that the British public is at increased risk from mentally ill patients as a result of care in the community are completely misplaced, according to a study of Home Office criminal homicide statistics published this week.

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, examined the statistics for England and Wales between 1957and 1995to find out if homicide has become more frequent as psychiatric services have changed. The results showed that, far from increasing, there was a 3% annual decrease in …