Police defend large rise in reported crime

Warwickshire Police have defended a large increase in recorded crime in the county, after national statistics revealed it has risen considerably more here than in any other West Midlands force.

The figures, published by the Office of National Statistics, showed that overall recorded crime rose by 24% in Warwickshire from June 2016-June 2017.

It is one of the seven biggest rises of all forces in England and Wales and the rise is ten per cent higher than any other force in the West Midlands.

Superintendent Andrew Nolan, of Warwickshire Police, said: “We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and continue to do everything we can to reduce and tackle crime.

“Although the latest Warwickshire figures show an increase in reported crime, this firstly reflects the national trend and locally is due to a number of factors including crime recording improvements and increased trust and confidence in reporting by victims.

"We are extremely pleased that our latest figures show that 86 per cent of victims are satisfied by the service they have received from us."

A total of 39,638 offences were recorded by the force over the year with theft the most common, with 17,742 offences.

Weapon possession offences in Warwickshire increased by 68 per cent over the year to 338 offences while general public order offences rose by 61 per cent, with 2,052 offences recorded.

However two types of offences have shown an encouraging fall with non-domestic burglaries down 5 per cent and theft from person offences down eight per cent.

Overall recorded crime across all forces in England and Wales has risen by an average of 14 per cent.

Commenting on the figures Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, said: “The rise in recorded crime gives an illustration of the pressures policing is currently under, both locally and nationally.

“As the ONS notes, some of the rise is caused by changes to police recording practices and it will take a number of years before we can be confident that we have a true baseline against which we can measure the force’s performance.

“Equally, percentage changes can sometimes be misleading when dealing with smaller numbers and it remains the case that Warwickshire is a low crime area.

“There is little doubt, however, that there have also been genuine rises in some categories of crime. Some of this is welcome – such as increased reporting of hate crime – but rises in other types of crime such as burglary and violence offences are more concerning.

“Combined with an expanding population, increases in recorded crime mean that officers are dealing with increased workloads against a backdrop of reducing resources.

“In the last 12 months I have made significant investments in advanced technology to support frontline policing, which are helping to reduce bureaucracy and free up more officer time to focus on detecting crime and supporting victims.

“Warwickshire Police is also continuing with its major programme of modernisation to ensure that it focuses its efforts on tackling the offences which cause significant harm to our communities and to individuals.

“In the meantime, I am continuing to argue the case with government that there needs to be increased investment in policing and I will continue to hold the Chief Constable to account to ensure that our policing resources are used to the best possible effect.”

Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi said: “I am aware of the ONS figures that show a disproportionate rise in crime in Warwickshire over the last year. This is, of course, concerning.

“Whilst it is true that part of this increase is due to continued improvements to recording practices and an increased willingness of victims to come forward and report certain crimes, it is undeniably the case that much of this increase is genuine.

“I am regularly briefed by Warwickshire Police on their operations and I have full confidence in Martin Jelley and the entire Warwickshire police force in tackling this.”

Jeremy Wright MP, whose constituency covers Wellesbourne and Kineton, added: “In a low crime area like Warwickshire, any rise in reported crime is understandably concerning. However it is not always simply the case that more crimes are being committed.

“It can mean more crimes that previously were not reported are now being pursued. I am also told that recording practices have recently changed which will affect some figures. Nevertheless, I trust our local Police will learn the lessons from today’s figures and improve performance where needed.”