Overall recorded crime to West Mercia Police falls but sex offences on the increase

Home Office data shows a fall of three per cent in recorded crime across the force patch, which covers Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Hereford and Worcester.

The figures continue a trend throughout the pandemic, which has seen drops in a number of crimes.

Although there has been a rise in stalking and harassment cases and public order crimes.

The latest data, which runs up to the year ending September 2021, shows a decline in violent crime of one per cent, a 17 per cent fall in robberies and a 19 per cent drop for burglaries when compared to the previous 12 months.

Drug offences also fell by six per cent, while vehicle crime dropped by 15 per cent.

There have however been increases in the number of sexual offences, which are up by nine per cent, as well as stalking and harassment cases – up by 13 per cent, along with a big rise in public order crimes – up by 24 per cent.

In total there were 995 sexual offences recorded by the force from July last year to September.

Crime involving weapons specifically is down, dropping by 11 per cent, while the number of knife crimes is considerably down, falling by 18 per cent when compared to the previous year.

In total there were 568 crimes recorded involving a knife across West Mercia between October 2020, and September 2021.

Figures for Dyfed Powys show a significant 20 per cent rise in overall reported crime despite a number of offences, including those involving drugs, burglary, possession of a weapon, and vehicle offences all falling.

There were major rises in the number of public order offences, up by 79 per cent compared to the previous year, while sexual offences have risen by 20 per cent and stalking and harassment crimes by 71 per cent.

Speaking when previous figures were released in July last year West Mercia Police said they had expected some types of crime to rise as lockdown restrictions eased.

Nationally, the figures show police forces across the country recorded the highest number of sexual offences in a 12 month period.

Responding to the rise a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: "Nobody should have to experience the horror of rape and other sexual crimes.

"It's encouraging that more victims of sexual violence are coming forward, and we've been clear that police must raise the bar in handling such cases so victims know that they will be taken seriously and criminals responsible are put behind bars.

"And we are taking long-term action to prevent violence against women and girls, bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring victims get the support they need."

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “As PCC I am committed to building a safe and secure West Mercia. It is encouraging to see that the overall majority of recorded crimes have fallen. This may be down to the pandemic, and associated lockdowns, however this may also be as a result of the initiatives around crime prevention that work hard to reduce the impact on communities.

"It is clear that there is work to do to tackle sexual violence in West Mercia and I am keen to encourage a societal change in order to end violence against women and girls. This is alongside the growing amount of funding I have secured to tackle this crime.

"I hold regular holding to account meetings with the Chief Constable and address any performance outliers or areas for concern. In February I will raise a number of topics, including sexual violence. Out of this, I will identify how further support can be given by commissioning services and how the force will be responding to the rise.”