Crime continues to rise in Cheshire

The county saw a 36.4 per cent increase in overall recorded crime between December 2016 and December 2017.

During this period the number of recorded crimes rose to 82,443.

Darren Martland, Deputy Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “Recorded crime increased across England and Wales between December 2016 and December 2017.

“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 that improved crime 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 crime 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 crime 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 the police forces in England and Wales experienced an increase in vehicle offences, with the rise in Cheshire being smaller than the 15 per cent increase seen nationally.

Shoplifting and burglary offences also increased nationally, with 37 forces having seen a rise in shoplifting and 32 forces having seen a rise in burglary.

DCC Martland added: “Cheshire Constabulary is committed to – and taking action in a bid to achieve – reductions in all types of crime and we will continue to prioritise the investigation of crimes and attendance at incidents where it is necessary to protect vulnerable people.

“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.

DCC Martland said: “It is pleasing that there were significant falls in some crimes in Cheshire, such as theft from a person and robbery against a business. 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.