Once again, North Yorkshire is declared the safest place in England.

Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, was delighted with the news. She said: “Once again I am pleased to see that North Yorkshire remains the safest place in England. My thanks go to the officers and staff of North Yorkshire Police who work so hard on our behalf to keep us safe.

“Today’s figures demonstrate how crime is changing. Despite an overall rise of 1% compared to the same period last year, it is promising to see that robbery, burglary and drug offences have decreased.  The increase in sexual offences, I believe, represents the steps we have made to improve the support services available for victims, and the public’s increasing confidence in reporting historic and current offences to the police.

“Although North Yorkshire is the safest place in the country, the police force will not rest on its laurels and will continue to ensure that residents feel safe in this beautiful county. I hope that by being more responsive and more accessible, our communities will feel confident that we will always be there to protect them from harm.”

The ONS report states that there was a total of 36,680 crimes in North Yorkshire during this period, giving a crime rate of 45.3 per 1,000 of the population. While this reflects a 1% rise in crime in comparison to the same period the previous year, it is below the 10% increase in England and Wales and takes into account improved crime recording standards nationally.

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

• Robbery reduced by 18% (137 crimes in total, 31 fewer crimes)
• Burglary reduced by 12% (3,642 crimes in total, 488 fewer crimes, of which 1,392 are recorded as domestic burglaries (a 5% decrease, 74 fewer crimes) and 2,250 non-domestic burglaries (a 16% decrease, 414 fewer crimes)
• Drug offences decreased by 17% (1,563 crimes in total, 318 fewer crimes)
• Violence against the person went up by 10% (9,468 crimes in total, 896 more crimes). This is broken down into Violence with Injury (4,635 crimes in total, 5% increase, 225 more crimes) and Violence without Injury category (4,827 crimes in total, 16% increase, 671 more crimes). This 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 16% (206 crimes in total, 28 more crimes)
• Theft offences down by 4% (16,211 crimes in total, 723 fewer crimes)
• Theft from person up by 2% (491 crimes in total, 9 more crimes)
• Bicycle theft increased by 8% (1,409 crimes in total, 101 more crimes)
• Shoplifting increased by 1% (4,065 crimes in total, 25 more crimes)
• Other theft offences down by 8% (4,354 crimes in total, 354 fewer crimes)
• Criminal damage and arson up by 2% (5,762 crimes in total, 121 more crimes)
• Vehicle Offences reduced by 1% (2,250 crimes in total, 16 fewer crimes)
• Sexual offences increased by 17% (1,340 crimes in total, 190 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 7% (4,065 crimes in total, 91 more crimes)
• Miscellaneous crimes against society, which includes the possession and publication of extreme sexual images, increased by 17% with 635 crimes in total, 91 more crimes.

Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “The fact that North Yorkshire has again been rated as the safest and lowest-crime area in England is something that everyone connected to North Yorkshire Police can take great pride in.

“It also reflects the outstanding partnership working that exists throughout the county and in the City of York, as well as the vital support provided by our local communities who rightly demand a very high level of service in return.

“Thank you to everyone who works so hard to maintain safety and security in our area.”

For more information about the latest crime figures, please go to the Office of National Statistics website: