Crime figures show North Yorkshire continues to be safest county

It shows there were a total of 39,077 crimes in North Yorkshire during the 12-month period, giving a crime rate of 47.9 per 1,000 of the population. This is the lowest crime rate in England and Wales, with the average standing at 83.5.

Julia Mulligan, elected Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, said:

““North Yorkshire continues to be the safest county in England and Wales with 47.9 crimes per 1,000 of the population. This is a testament to the hard work of police officers, police staff and volunteers and I want to thank them for their hard work to keep us safe and feeling safe.

“Clearly, while still relatively safe, crime continues to rise so there is always more to do. This is especially true in our rural communities which we know often feel they do not receive a fair deal in the efforts put in to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.”

This 7% local increase in crime is below the 13% national average increase and, broken down into the main crime categories, the ONS figures for North Yorkshire show:

• Burglary increased by 1% (3,646 crimes in total)
• Theft from the person down by 12% (412 crimes in total)
• Drug offences decreased by 9% (1,434 crimes in total)
• Violence and against the person increased by 13% (10,838 crimes in total), which is broken down into Violence with Injury (4,906 crimes in total, a 8% increase); Violence without Injury category (4,495 crimes in total, a 20% increase); Harassment and Stalking (1,418 crimes in total, an 14% increase)
• Possession of weapons offences up by 9% (244 crimes in total)
• Robbery increased by 7% (166 crimes in total)
• Theft offences increased by 4% (16,669 crimes in total)
• Bicycle theft reduced by 17% (1,117 crimes in total)
• Shoplifting increased by 14% (4,699 crimes in total)
• Other theft offences stayed at the same level with 4,352 crimes in total
• Criminal damage and arson up by 4% (5,897 crimes in total)
• Vehicle Offences up by 17% with 2,443 crimes in total
• Sexual offences increased by 10% (1,562 crimes in total). 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 8% (1,522 crimes in total)
• Miscellaneous crimes against society, which includes the possession and publication of extreme sexual images, increased by 6% with 745 crimes in total

Temporary Chief Constable Lisa Winward said:

“It is very pleasing that North Yorkshire continues to be the safest and lowest crime area in England and Wales.

“This reflects the professionalism and dedication of everyone connected to North Yorkshire Police, the effective partnership working with our local authorities and other community groups, and the vital support from local residents.

“While the 7% increase in crime in our area is lower than the 13% increase nationally, we are not satisfied and we will not become complacent.

“We remain 100% focused on reversing this trend in North Yorkshire through strong neighbourhood policing and our proactive approach to tackling and deterring offenders who come into North Yorkshire from other counties.”