More than 800,000 - or one in five - of all crimes reported to the police each year are not being recorded by officers, a report suggests. The problem is greatest for victims of violent crime, with a third going unrecorded. Of sexual offences, 26% are not recorded. An HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report looked at more than 8,000 reports of crime in England and Wales. The watchdog said the failure to record crime properly was ‘indefensible’. Home Secretary Theresa May described the findings as ‘utterly unacceptable’, but police representatives said the situation had improved since the study. An unrecorded crime is classed as one that is reported to the police but not recorded as an offence. It means an investigation into the alleged crime is unlikely to happen.

Children as young as four could have the chance to join savings clubs in an attempt to prevent them getting into debt later in life. The Church of England is proposing a network of clubs in primary schools, run by run by credit unions, to help raise children's financial awareness. Under the plans, they would be able to save small, regular amounts of money. They would also take part in running the groups, such as working as junior cashiers or bank managers. Parents and school staff could also sign up to the clubs, with mothers and fathers able to set up accounts to save for particular expenses, such as trips and school uniform. The Church says practical learning would be reinforced by classroom teaching materials. The proposed teaching resources would cover areas such as understanding the role money plays in our lives, how to manage money and managing risks and emotions associated with money.

The Church of England (C of E) is the latest institution to brand new standards requiring schools to actively promote ‘British values’ as dangerous and divisive. The Department for Education has been accused of rushing through a consultation on the school standards, which was published in July. The standards came into force in late September. The C of E’s submission to the consultation speaks of the ‘danger’ of regulating under such loose terms, describing the standards as a ‘negative and divisive approach’. Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer for the C of E, cautioned that: ‘British values’ cannot be allowed to become a test or an assessment of whether somebody is ‘safe’ or ‘loyal’. Genders went on to argue that ‘extremism thrives when religion is banished to dark corners’. He added, ‘more importantly, if we reject all forms of religion from our schools, we are failing to prepare young people for the realities of life’.

A Christian pressure group is campaigning to oust a high-profile university professor who boasted about his 1,000 sexual conquests. Eric Anderson, 46, a Winchester University professor of sports studies, told a gathering of gay and lesbian students at Oxford that he liked sex with ‘16, 17, 18-year-old boys’. He dismissed Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, as a ‘total bigot’ and ‘liar’ and said ‘the damage that’s caused by child molestation is socially constructed by the western world’. The pressure group Because Children Matter wrote to Joy Carter, Winchester Universities vice-chancellor, urging her to dismiss the professor. It warned that the gay/lesbian group will distribute thousands of leaflets with the professors comments to members of the university’s board, head teachers of secondary schools in its area, students and members of the public. The university says it has reprimanded the professor for his remarks, but defended him as an ‘internationally renowned sociologist.’(Ps.5:4)

Legislation aimed at boosting equality is actually victimising traditional marriage supporters, a gay journalist has warned. Andrew Pierce, who has repeatedly spoken out against redefining marriage, accused the Government of making ‘empty promises’ to protect freedom of conscience. The public was given repeated assurances that freedom of conscience would be respected if the law on marriage was changed. Maria Miller – the Tory Cabinet minister responsible for the Bill – ‘insisted’ that those opposing the plans would not be subjected to any discrimination. Mr Pierce quotes many examples of people being prosecuted for holding to their traditional views of marriage including that of the McArthur family who are being taken to court by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland over their refusal to make a pro-gay marriage campaign cake. Same-sex marriage has not been introduced in Northern Ireland, with MLAs voting three times in two years against changing the law.

Many are petitioning for ‘Frack Free Somerset,’ the Economist has called fracking the ‘Dash for cash’. tens of thousands are concerned that the government is considering proposals to allow the fracking industry to drill below people's land without permission, and the RSPB is objecting to Cuadrilla’s plans for sites. On Wednesday the Minister of State for Business, Enterprise and Energy named a Blackpool College as the first UK training centre for the fracking industry. It will be a hub for the National College for Onshore Oil and Gas with other colleges serving as spokes for the hub, delivering advanced qualifications including honours degrees for engineers and technicians. Also on Wednesday researchers and experts from the UK Energy Research Centre said that ministers have ‘completely oversold’ shale gas potential. Promises of lower prices and that ‘greater energy security from UK shale gas were hype and lacking in evidence’. See also: h

Doctors have an ethical duty to prevent waste in the NHS, argues a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Its authors point to potential savings of nearly £2bn. Examples include better use of medication, tests, hospital beds and operating theatres. The British Medical Association said doctors were ideally placed to identify savings, but patients must come first. The authors argue it is better to develop a culture of finding the best way to do something, and then do it right across the health service. ‘We need to be innovative to tackle the huge financial challenges we are facing’ Surgeon Jeremy Lavey. A manager can't make those decisions whereas we are ideally positioned and we have a responsibility to make sure we do that properly.’

Around 45% of Christians in Britain think religion is a negative force in modern life, with around a third believing it does more good than harm. Christians also think that atheists and religious people are just as likely to be moral, at 69% and 60% respectively. Muslims surveyed were more unsure, with 53% saying they ‘didn't know’. Of the 2,004 people surveyed in the HuffPost/Survation poll, 56% described themselves as Christian, 2.5% were Muslim, 1% were Jewish and the remainder were of another faith or none. More than 55% of those surveyed said that atheists are just as likely to be moral people than religious people. Around 30% of 18-24 year -olds believe religion does more good than harm, compared to just 19% of 55-64 year-olds. This article suggests many people are unaware of the considerable contribution made by the Church and other faithgroups to our society.

Schools are being recommended a teaching resource suggesting that ‘sex at 13’ is normal, a Parliamentary committee has been told. Appearing in front of the Education Select Committee today, Sarah Carter of the Family Education Trust pointed MPs to the ‘Traffic Light Tool’ produced by ‘sexual health’ group Brook. The Traffic Light Tool suggests that ‘interest in erotica/pornography, sexually explicit conversations with peers and consenting oral and/or penetrative sex with others of the same or opposite gender who are of similar age and developmental ability ’express‘ safe and healthy sexual development’ Ms Carter said. This material should be outlawed. It is dangerous. It will harm our children. It encourages them into premature sexual activity which is damaging to them. It sexualises them and encourages illegal activity. The Government should immediately review all the material produced by Brook and suspend its use in schools' said Andrea Williams of Christian Concern.

Campaigners and doctors are calling for stronger warnings about drinking during pregnancy, ahead of a legal test case on foetal alcohol syndrome. The case will decide if a child born with serious disabilities caused by her mother's alcohol consumption should be eligible for compensation as a victim of crime. Some estimates suggest that thousands are born every year in the UK with serious health defects caused by alcohol. Senior health officials have said there are mixed messages on the issue. NHS guidance states ‘women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should avoid alcohol altogether’. But it continues: ‘If they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, we recommend they should not drink more than one or two units once or twice a week, and should not get drunk.’