The emergence of mass un employment in Britain since the mid-1970 coincided whith an increase in recorded crime. The British Crime Survey confirmed that crime grew by 49 per cent, or 4.1 per cent per annum, between 1981 and 1991. This rise was dominated by property crime, which increased by 95 per cent over the period. The nature of the relationship between property crime and fluctuations in the business cycle is shown graphically in Figure 15.3, which reveals several clear trends for England and Wales.