Charles Clarke said yesterday that a six per cent rise in violent crime recorded by police is the biggest challenge facing Labour.

The home secretary added that he found it "appalling" that one in four teenage boys aged 14 to 17 admits to being a serious, or prolific, offender.

Clarke was speaking as the Home Office published figures showing that there were 3.8 million active offenders in England and Wales.

However, overall crime is falling. According to offences recorded by the 43 forces in England and Wales, it fell by six per cent.

Clarke said: "Violent crime is still the biggest challenge. It will be my major Number One priority to drive down violent crime.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said: "No amount of government spin and selective reporting of the facts will fool the public — overall recorded crime is up 12 per cent since 1998."

But Chris Fox, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said that the figures overall were "hugely encouraging".