Commissioner comments on ONS Crime Figures

Commenting on today’s figures from the Office for National Statistics on ‘Crime in England and Wales : year ending December 2019’, Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said:

“Clearly, a huge amount has changed since the period these figures cover but I am pleased that North Yorkshire continues to be the safest place in England and Wales.

“The snapshot does though show an increase in crime during the three months to December, compared to the year before, and when there are more offences there are always questions to be asked.

“Part of the increase is due to better recording of offences, and that’s important to ensure we know the challenges we face. But any increase is a concern, and I am particularly worried by the rise in violent crime and robbery – offences which cause huge concern in our communities.

“I will continue to work with the Chief Constable to ensure her plans address the challenges these figures show, but also reflect the situation we face today – dealing with a national emergency which has changed the world in a way we could not have imagined just months ago.”

North Yorkshire remains the safest place in the country despite rise in recorded crime

North Yorkshire remains the lowest crime area in England and Wales despite a 9% rise in recorded offences.

This was confirmed in the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) “Crime in England and Wales: year ending December 2019” bulletin, published today (Thursday 23 April 2020).

It shows there were 47,929 crimes in North Yorkshire during the 12-month period, giving a crime rate of 58.1 per 1,000 of the population which is the lowest nationally, and is significantly lower than the average of 89 per 1,000 across England and Wales.

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

• Bicycle theft has decreased by 9% (1,072 in total)
• Vehicle offences has decreased by 7% (2,287 in total)
• Criminal damage and arson has decreased by 3% (5,832 in total)
• Violence against the person has increased 22% (16,794in total) broken down into:
  • Homicide remains unchanged (6 in total)
  • Violence with injury has increased 14% (6,258in total)
  • Violence without injury has increased 22% (6,702 in total)
  • Stalking and harassment has increased 39% (3,811 in total)
  • Death or serious injury – unlawful driving remains unchanged (17 in total)

• Sexual offences have increased by 6% (1,988 in total)
• Robbery has increased by 13% (242 in total)
• Theft offences remain unchanged (17,066 in total) broken down into:
  • Burglary has increased by 3% (3,925 in total, of which 2,453 are recorded as residential burglaries and 1,472 are recorded as non-residential burglaries).
  • Theft from the person remains unchanged (477in total)
  • Shoplifting has increased by 4% (4,642 in total)
  • All other theft offences remain unchanged (4,663 in total)

• Drug offences have increased by 6% (1,662in total)
• Possession of weapons offences has increased by 3% (320  in total)
• Public order offences have increased by 36% (3,009 in total)
• Miscellaneous crimes against society have increased by 25% (1,016  in total)

Chief Constable Lisa Winward, North Yorkshire Police said:

“These figures show that North Yorkshire Police continues to be the safest place in the country per 1,000 of the population, despite the snapshot showing a 9% rise in recorded offences in comparison to the same period the year before.

“Even with our national position, we are not complacent, and a top priority for the force is ensuring victims continue to feel confident about reporting offences to us. As part of this, our piece of work to improve how we record crime, and also detect and investigate offences is ongoing as this naturally influences the county’s crime levels.

“Maintaining our position as the safest place in the country is testament not only to the professionalism and dedication of the teams of people from North Yorkshire Police and our local authority and community partners, but also our communities who provide so much support to their local policing teams.

“There is no doubt that our collective strength, passion and pride we have for our area is a key factor in this high level of performance and my thanks go to each and every officer, staff member, volunteer and partner whose role is vital in helping us protect people. We are very proud to serve North Yorkshire and will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe and secure.”

For more information about the latest crime figures, please go to the Office of National Statistics website: ‘Crime in England and Wales : year ending December 2019’