Crime on the rise for third year in a row with spike in violence

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of recorded offences went up 10 per cent from December 2015 to December last year – hitting 200,512 total crimes.

Possession of weapons increased 18 per cent to 1,571 incidents. Violence against a person rose 17 per cent, robbery increased 17 per cent and vehicle offences went up 16 per cent across the region.

Domestic burglary also shows an increase by 19 per cent to 13,470 incidents.

However police say this is a ‘false increase’ because all business and domestic burglaries are now recorded as one rather than separately.

Drug offences were the only crime to drop in the region, falling by 11 per cent to 5,022 incidents.

Crime in Wolverhampton increased by 12 per cent in the same period to 18,869 incidents. Possession of weapons went up 25 per cent to 168 offences.

Meanwhile public order offences shot up almost 25 per cent to 940 incidents, along with shoplifting which went up to 22 per cent and vehicle offences up 29 per cent.

Violence without injury – such as harassment or kidnapping – also increased 31 per cent to 2,657 incidents while violence with injury was up 10 per cent. and non-domestic burglary dropped by almost seven per cent.

Sandwell saw the biggest rise in the Black Country with a 13 per cent increase over the period to 21,442 incidents.

Violence with injury leapt 21 per cent to 2,883. Shoplifting rose 17 per cent to 2,014 incidents and violence without injury rocketed 44 per cent to 2,679 incidents. However crimes involving possessions of weapons offences dropped by more than five per cent.

In Dudley, crime increased by 10.6 per cent to 18,311 incidents.

Violence without injury rose in the borough by more than 28 per cent while violence with injury rose 18 per cent to 2,143 incidents.

Robberies also increased 45 per cent in the year period from 278 to 403 incidents while possession of weapons went up 44 per cent to 124 offences.

In Walsall, the crime rate went up less than one per cent to 18,446.

Vehicle offences rose 10 per cent to 2,694 incidents and violence without injury went up 12 per cent to 2,038 instances while violence with injury fell one per cent and possession of weapons was down four per cent.

A spokesman from West Midlands Police said: “We have seen a rise in reported crime. Our process for recording burglary has changed to include all business and domestic burglaries previously recorded separately resulting in a potential false increase.

"We’re committed to preventing all crime.”