Crime up for third year in row in Staffordshire

Offences have gone up by 14 per cent in the space of a year, to 75,364 offences in 2016, according to new figures from the National Office of Statistics.

Public order offences saw the biggest increase between 2015 and last year with 3,251 offences, up 45 per cent.

Sexual offences rose 25 per cent to 2,758 and incidents of violence against a person went up 22 per cent to 25,778 incidents by the end of December 2016.

Crime in Cannock Chase rose 11 per cent to 6,054. Violence against a person went up four per cent to 797 incidents. Sexual offences went up 20 per cent to 194 incidents.

Incidents of arson rose 12 per cent meanwhile drug offences dropped by nine per cent to 162 incidents. Crime in South Staffordshire rose 13 per cent in the same period. Violence without injury, such as kidnapping and harassment, has rocketed 50 per cent to 902 incidents, along with violence with injury which saw an increase of 26 per cent to 707 incidents.

Non-domestic burglary has also gone up almost 10 per cent.

However, criminal damage and arson dropped by 14 per cent. In Stafford, crime rose by almost six per cent to 6,826.

Violence without injury rose 20 per cent to 1,304 incidents along with criminal damage and arson which increased 12 per cent.

However, vehicle offences have dropped by more than 22 per cent and bicycle theft dropped 14 per cent.

Crime in Lichfield also rose – 13 per cent – to 4,761. Crime without injury has risen again in the area to 884 incidents – 41 per cent.

Shoplifting in Lichfield has gone up 40 per cent to 455 incidents, along with sexual offences which have increased by 26 per cent to 191 incidents. However, similar to South Staffordshire, criminal damage and arson has dropped by three per cent.

DCC Nick Baker, of Staffordshire Police, said: “A large part of this rise is due to more victims having the confidence to report their crimes, matters surrounding public protection, the changing nature of crime especially in the digital arena and the vigorous efforts being made by the force to improve consistency and accuracy in crime recording.

“The force has a focus on reducing crime but this is balanced against the need to behave with integrity and to do the right thing for victims. We will continue our determined effort to drive down crime. The force details with a wide range of incidents that are not crime-related. These account for 78 per cent of all incidents recorded by Staffordshire Police.”