Violent child deaths in Britain fall by 40% since mid-70s

THE number of children dying a violent death in England and Wales has fallen by close to 40% since the mid-1970s and is the fourth lowest in the Western world, according to new academic research to be published shortly.

Between 1974 and 2006, the annual number of children killed aged 14 and under fell from 136 to 84, a Bournemouth University study has found.

The in-depth report provides an insight into long-term trends at a time of intense debate about violent crime and in the face of widespread concerns over cases such as Baby Peter, who died after months of abuse in Haringey, north London, in August 2007.