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Crime fell sharply last year despite the recession, official figures show.
Police forces in England and Wales recorded surprising falls in burglary, robbery and violence in the three months to September.
Total offences reported to the police fell by 8% - amounting to nearly 100,000 fewer crimes out of 1.1 million committed.
The last set of quarterly crime figures ahead of the start of the general election campaign are a boon for the Government.
Car thefts, which includes thefts of both vehicles and belongings left inside vehicles, were down by a fifth. Fraud and criminal damage fell by double digits, but there were rises in sexual offences, pick-pocket thefts and thefts of bicycles, and a small increase in gun crimes.
Both official projections for ministers and those produced by crime academics expected acquisitive crimes such as burglary and robbery to shoot up during the recession.
While there were some gradual increases in house break-ins and pick-pocketing last year, the tidal wave of crime has failed to materialise, and today's figures amount to a sharp reversal.
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Domestic break-ins fell 8% between July and September to a total of 64,200, and robberies were down 9% to 17,800. A total of 34,600 people had their bike stolen in the three-month period, 7% more than last year.
The British Crime Survey, which is made up from tens of thousands of interviews with members of the public, showed an 11% increase in pick-pocketing. But the overall risk of being a victim of any crime hit a historic low.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "Given the tough economic conditions these crime statistics are all the more impressive and a tribute to police forces across the country. They also show how shallow David Cameron's rhetoric about so called "broken Britain" really is."
