Trends in community violence in England and Wales 1995-1998: an accident and emergency department perspective

Objectives-To identify overall, seasonal, sex and age specific national tre nds in community violence from an accident and emergency (A&E) department p erspective. Design and Setting-Prospective collection of national violence data from a stratified random sample of 33 A&E departments in England and Wales. Methods-Data were analysed for the three years from May 1995 to April 1998. Time series statistical methods were used to detect trends among those age d 0-10, 11-17, 18-30, 31-50 and 51 + years. Results-121 475 assaults were identified: 89 533 (74%) men sustained injury . Forty five per cent were aged 18-30. The significant trends were an incre ase in injured women and those aged 31-50. Significant seasonal trends were identified for both sexes and all age groups: peaks were found in July to September and troughs in February to April. Conclusions-There was no overall significant change in levels of violence b etween 1995-1998 from an A&E department perspective. Numbers of women injur ed and those aged 31-50 increased significantly. The incidence of injury su stained in community violence is biphasic: is highest during July to Septem ber and lowest during February to April. National A&E department violence s urveillance provides a unique perspective.