GovWire

This report from the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme is an official statistics in development publication from the Home Office and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, part of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The analysis looks at the use of substance misuse services by victims and suspects of homicide in England. It linked records from the Homicide Index database between April 2019 and March 2021, with records from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System.

The report and accompanying data tables present information and findings from this analysis, including the:

• treatment characteristics of victims and suspects, such as their sociodemographic, accommodation and employment status
• characteristics of the homicide, such as the surrounding circumstances of the homicide, the relationships between victims and suspects and whether the homicide was drug-related

These findings will contribute to the evidence base for homicide prevention policy and will help us to better understand the relationship between homicide and substance misuse treatment.