Increase in sex offences as crime figures fall

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) data shows Northumbria Police recorded 872 incidents of sexual offences in Sunderland in the 12 months to September – an increase of 13% compared to the previous year.

The rate of 3.1 crimes per 1,000 people, was slightly above the level in England and Wales, which stood at 2.9.

The total number of offences in Sunderland fell by nine per cent, with police recording 26,827 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate for the area at 96.6 per 1,000 people – compared to a national average of 82.4.

Other crimes recorded in Sunderland included:

*9,776 violent offences, a rise of one per cent.

*6,505 theft offences, down 24%.

*4,376 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 10%.

*204 possession of weapons, down seven-per cent.

*3,515 public order offences, down 10%.

Nationally around 5.8 million offences were recorded in England and Wales in the year to September – a two per cent rise compared to the previous year – though there was a one per cent drop to 4.9 million offences when excluding cases of fraud and computer misuse.

Police forces across the two nations logged 63,100 rapes – up 13% from the previous year.

The ONS said the latest figures may reflect several factors, including the “impact of high-profile incidents and campaigns on people’s willingness to report incidents to the police”.