2% decrease in crime in North Yorkshire – the lowest crime area in England

North Yorkshire remains the safest place to live, work and visit in England.

This was confirmed in the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) “Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2017” bulletin, published today (Thursday 20 July 2017).

It shows there were a total of 36,683 crimes in North Yorkshire during the 12-month period, giving a crime rate of 45.3 per 1,000 of the population. This reflects a 2% decrease in crime in comparison to the same period the previous year.

This performance is significantly above the 11% increase in police recorded crime in England and Wales.

Broken down into the main crime categories, the ONS figures for North Yorkshire show:

• Burglary reduced by 13% (3,603 crimes in total, 537 fewer crimes, of which 1,385 are recorded as domestic burglaries (a 7% decrease, 110 fewer crimes) and 2,218 non-domestic burglaries (a 16% decrease, 427 fewer crimes)
• Drug offences decreased by 12% (1,575 crimes in total, 223 fewer crimes)
• Violence against the person went up by 6% (9,553 crimes in total, 540 more crimes). This is broken down into Violence with Injury (4,563 crimes in total, 1% decrease, 53 fewer crimes) and Violence without Injury category (4,985 crimes in total, 14% increase, 594 more crimes). This overall increase is largely attributable to the Violence without Injury category. This includes Common Assault and Harassment offences. Recent analysis confirmed this rise is linked to improved recording following a recent HMIC inspection, an increase in historical reports, increased proactivity around enforcement of orders and improved victim confidence
• Possession of weapons offences up by 27% (224 crimes in total, 48 more crimes)
• Robbery increased by 2% (155 crimes in total, 3 more crimes)
• Theft offences down by 7% (15,992 crimes in total, 1184 fewer crimes)
• Theft from person down by 4% (468 crimes in total, 22 fewer crimes)
• Bicycle theft reduced by 4% (1,352 crimes in total, 61 more crimes)
• Shoplifting increased by 1% (4,114 crimes in total, 35 more crimes)
• All other theft offences down by 7% (4,369 crimes in total, 334 fewer crimes)
• Criminal damage and arson down by 5% (5,651 crimes in total, 293 fewer crimes)
• Vehicle Offences reduced by 11% (2,086 crimes in total, 265 fewer crimes)
• Sexual offences increased by 20% (1,424 crimes in total, 235 more crimes). As previously highlighted, this rise is regarded as a positive reflection of the confidence victims have in North Yorkshire Police, particularly those making historical complaints in the wake of high profile historical sexual abuse cases, plus support from dedicated facilities for victims of sexual assault
• Public order offences up by 10% (1,407 crimes in total, 127 more crimes)
• Miscellaneous crimes against society, which includes the possession and publication of extreme sexual images, increased by 23% with 702 crimes in total, 131 more crimes

Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “North Yorkshire Police and our community partners take great pride in keeping our area as safe and secure as possible.

“The latest national crime statistics reflect our relentless determination to keep improving the service we deliver for residents and businesses, as well as for the many thousands of visitors who come here to experience our wonderful part of the world.

“There will be no let-up in our efforts to deter and detect criminality in our cities, towns and villages. With our now well-established ‘Proactive Policing’ approach, supported by the Road Crime Team, Roads Policing Group, the Firearms Support Unit and the Rural Taskforce, and underpinned by a network of fixed site and mobile ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras, we have the capability to target suspected criminals around the clock both within and across our force borders.

“In addition to this in light of the terrible terrorist incidents in London and Manchester, we take our responsibilities to protect our communities extremely seriously. That’s why we will continue to provide a visible and reassuring presence at crowded events as we have seen recently at the Great Yorkshire Show and the Armed Forces Day in Scarborough. From the public feedback we have received, I know the vast majority of people are truly grateful for the work our policing teams are doing to keep them safe from harm.

“I thank our officers, PCSOs, Special Constables, police staff and volunteers for everything they do to make a difference. They are a credit to North Yorkshire Police.”