North Lincs crime is on the rise Office For National Statistics data reveals

Crime is on the rise in North Lincolnshire according to newly released statistics.
Humberside assistant chief constable, Scott YoungHumberside assistant chief constable, Scott Young
Humberside assistant chief constable, Scott Young

Crime has increased year-on-year in North Lincolnshire, according to the latest police recorded figures from the Office for National Statistics.

There were 15,947 reported offences in 2018, data from the ONS has revealed.

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That's up by 13 percent on the previous year, when 14,053 incidents were recorded.

That means there was a rate of 93 crimes per 1,000 residents during 2018, above the England and Wales average of 88.

The statistics are based on crimes reported by police, and the ONS urges caution in interpreting some of these figures.

Assistant chief constable for Humberside, Scott Young, said: “While the latest release of quarterly crime figures highlights a rise in crime in our force area, this is also the picture nationally.

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“The improvements of crime recording by police forces can be attributed as one of the factors that has resulted in more offences being recorded, rather than more crimes actually being committed, and can be associated with the increase. 

“Locally we have seen positive reductions in offences of burglary by nine percent and theft by 13 percent.

“Burglary has decreased by 856 less crimes when comparing January to December 2018, to January to December 2017 for our area.

“Burglary is an incredibly intrusive crime that can leave people afraid to be in their own homes and the decrease is a positive indicator that our efforts to tackle this type of offending is really beginning to have an impact.

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“Reductions in theft offences include theft from, and theft of motor vehicle. There were 836 less crimes when compared to the same 12-month period as burglary which is also a really positive sign.

“Violent crime has seen an increase which is above the national average, and in our force area can be largely attributed to the recording improvements around stalking and harassment, in particularly in relation to malicious communication offences.”

He added: “Sexual offences continues to see a rise, again nationally, which given the current climate and the high profile reporting in the media over recent years, can be seen as more people having confidence in the police and in coming forward to report this type of offending, knowing they will be listened to and taken seriously.”

The asst chief const further added: “We have also seen an increase in public order offences, which is higher than the national average, this is mainly in the sub-category of ‘public fear, alarm or distress’, which accounts for around three-quarters of all offences.

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“A large part of this increase is largely reflected by improvements and changes to recording practices, as our call handling and crime recording of public order offences has hugely improved. An internal audit also suggested that the additional police officers we have recruited has led to more observed incidents of public order that they then deal with subsequently leading to a crime being recorded more often than not.  

“Our priority is to protect the public and ensure we have a good understanding of our communities so that we can work closely with them to help prevent crime. However when a crime is committed, we want people to feel reassured that we will record it and investigate thoroughly to hold those responsible to account.”

Alexa Bradley, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: "When we look at the overall level of crime, there has been no significant change over the last year.

"However, it is important to look at each crime type. Robbery and vehicle offences have increased whereas burglary has decreased. 

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"Lower-volume, high-harm violence involving knives has risen, whereas offences involving firearms have decreased."

Gun and knife possession offences in North Lincolnshire rose by 10, to 84 incidents.

There were 1,178 residential burglaries reported in 2018. Due to a change in how the ONS categorises burglaries, the localised figures cannot be compared with other years.

There have been two homicides, which are murders or manslaughters. There were two cases of death or injury by dangerous driving.

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Across England and Wales, the number of recorded homicides rose by six percent, to the highest level since 2008. These figures excluded people who died in terror attacks.

In North Lincolnshire, theft, one of the most high volume crimes, increased by 12 percent. Drugs-related offences dropped by 12 percent. 

Commenting on the national figures, Chief Constable Bill Skelly, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Rising crime, increased terrorist activity and fewer police officers have put serious strain on the policing we offer to the public.

"We are determining the additional capabilities and investment we need to drive down violence and catch more criminals - and we will make the case at the next Government Spending Review."

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Policing minister Nick Hurd said: "New statistics show that your chance of being a victim of crime remains low. Yet too many people are still falling victim to serious violence, which is why we will continue our urgent and unprecedented action to reverse this terrible trend.

"We have given police forces additional powers and have this year put more than £1 billion extra into policing."

Criminal damage in North Lincolnshire, which includes arson and vandalising cars and houses, has   gone down, from 1,978 incidents in 2017, to 1,896 in the latest figures.

While violence with injury, which includes assault, GBH and wounding, has risen, this could be due to improved police recording.

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Similarly sexual offences are hard to judge as many more victims are now coming forward due to a series of high-profile cases.

In North Lincolnshire, there were 470 incidents recorded in 2018, a 17 percent rise on the previous year, when 402 crimes were reported.

There were also 1,490 cases of stalking and harassment reported over the same period.