Recorded crime in Cheshire has spiralled by more than 36% in just 12 months, official figures show today.
The Office of National Statistics shows the county saw a 36.4% increase in overall recorded crime between December 2016 and December 2017.
It meant the number of recorded crimes rose to 82,443 during this period, with violent offences, sexual crimes and public order offences all rising “significantly”.
Darren Martland (pictured), Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “While it is disappointing that recorded crime in Cheshire rose as much as it did between that period, it is important to understand the reasons behind this.
“It is partly due to the fact improved recording processes have led to the recording of incidents such as disorder in a public area, which had previously been recorded as anti-social behaviour.
“The improvements that have been made to the recording process are most notable for public order offences, violent offences and sexual offences, which all rose significantly in Cheshire over the one-year period.
“These recording changes were brought in nationally to ensure that victims of crime receive the service they deserve.
“There were also increases in crimes that we would not expect to be significantly affected by changes to crime recording, such as shoplifting, vehicle offences and burglary.
“However, it is important to note that this is part of a national trend regarding these crimes.”
All but one of police forces in England and Wales experienced a rise in vehicle crime, with the rise in Cheshire being smaller than the 15% increase seen nationally.
Shoplifting and burglary offences also increased nationally, with 37 forces seeing a rise in shoplifting and 32 forces seeing a rise in burglary.
DCC Martland added: “We take burglary and vehicle offences very seriously and work with partners to adopt a preventative approach and also ensure that victims receive appropriate help and support.
“We also do a lot of work focusing on reducing the number of shoplifting offences, working with the business community across the county to tackle the issue.”
There were also falls in certain crimes in Cheshire over the one-year period, including theft from a person, robbery against a business and drug possession.
“We will continue to do everything we can to reduce the number of victims of any crime in Cheshire and our aim is to make the county a safer place to live, work and visit.
“Our officers and staff are committed to working tirelessly alongside colleagues in the Special Constabulary and a number of different agencies – in the public, private and voluntary sector – in order to prevent crime, support victims and protect vulnerable people.”
Victims of crime in Cheshire are encouraged to report it to Cheshire Police via 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
In an emergency always dial 999.
For crime prevention advice log onto www.cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/home-safety-and-security
For advice on the support available for victims of crime visit www.cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/advice-and-support-for-victims
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