Violent crime in South Yorkshire up by nearly a third

Violent crime in South Yorkshire was up by nearly a third last year, as overall offences increased by more than an eighth, new figures show.
More than 111,000 crimes were recorded across South Yorkshire last yearMore than 111,000 crimes were recorded across South Yorkshire last year
More than 111,000 crimes were recorded across South Yorkshire last year

South Yorkshire Police recorded nearly 112,000 crimes in 2016, annual statistics published today (Thursday, April 27) show - a rise of 13 per cent.

Violence against the person was up 30 per cent from 2015, robbery rose by 25 per cent, and possession of weapons by 46 per cent, but drug offences were down 12 per cent.

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There were 81.2 crimes last year per 1,000 people in South Yorkshire, which has a population of 1.37 million. That figure - which equates to one crime for every 12 people in the region - is slightly lower than the 83.9 for Yorkshire and the Humber as a whole, but well above the national average of 71.9.

Across England and Wales, total crime was up by 10 per cent and violent crimes by just under a fifth (19 per cent). Non-domestic burglary (-2 per cent) and drug offences (-8 per cent) were the only crimes to fall nationally.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: "In many cases, our local figures reflect the wider national picture, in which crime is on the increase across the board.

"The figures for South Yorkshire show that, during the year, recorded overall drug offences fell by 12 percent. Theft from a person is one percent below the national average, while the figure for criminal damage is the same as the national average.

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"However, the overall number of crimes that we are recording is rising, and while this reflects the national picture, we know that we still have a lot of work to do to reduce and prevent crime, and to protect the public.

"A large part of the increase in the figures for under-reported and under-recorded crimes, particularly violent crime and sexual offences, is due to the efforts that we have made across the force to improve crime data integrity, which ensures that crimes are being recorded when they should be and categorised correctly. If a someone tells us that they have been the victim of a crime, it will be recorded and treated as such.

"Towards the end of last year, we launched a high-profile campaign to raise awareness of the signs of domestic abuse, and to build confidence among domestic abuse victims to come forward and report their abuse to us. This is one of the several campaigns that we are currently running to improve the way that we protect, safeguard and support the most vulnerable members of our communities.

"And while the domestic abuse campaign may account for part of the increase in the figures, we know that hidden crime, such as domestic abuse, hate crime and modern slavery, is still under reported. So we encourage anyone affected by these crimes to come forward and tell us about them."

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South Yorkshire crime figures 2016 (percentage change from 2015)

Total offences (excluding fraud): 111,666 (+13)

Violence against the person: 24,566 (+30)

Homicide: 111 (-)

Violence with injury: 12,227 (+14)

Violence without injury: 12,228 (+49)

Sexual offences: 3,303 (+14)

Robbery: 1,285 (+25)

Theft offences: 54,257 (+7)

Burglary: 13,295 (+5)

Domestic burglary: 6,814 (+10)

Non-domestic burglary: 6,481 (0)

Vehicle offences: 12,861 (+15)

Theft from the person: 1,708 (+1)

Bicycle theft: 1,229 (0)

Shoplifting: 11,830 (+9)

Other theft: 13,334 (+1)

Criminal damage and arson: 18,002 (6)

Drug offences: 2,379 (-12)

Possession of weapons: 970 (+46)

Public order offences: 4,843 (+47)

Miscellaneous crimes: 2,061 (33)