Crime increased in Erewash according to new figures

There were 6,638 reported offences during the 12 months to March 2019, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

That's up by one per cent on the previous year, when 6,592 incidents were recorded.

That means there was a rate of 58 crimes per 1,000 residents during 2018-19, below the England and Wales average of 89.

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

Mark Bangs, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: "The picture of crime is a complex one.

"For example, overall levels of violence have remained steady but we have seen increases in violent crimes involving knives and sharp instruments.

"We have seen increases in fraud and overall theft, but decreases in burglary following recent rises.”

Possession of weapons offences in Erewash rose by 19 to 64 incidents. These include knives, hand guns and even corrosive acid.

There were 418 residential burglaries reported in 2018-19, down by 31% compared to the previous year.

There have been no homicides, which are murders or manslaughters.

Across England and Wales, the number of recorded homicides rose by 1%, to 701 incidents. These figures excluded people who died in terror attacks.

In Erewash, theft, one of the most high volume crimes, decreased by 18%. Drugs related offences dropped by 6%.

Commenting on the national figures, Chief Constable Andy Cooke, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said there were increases in concerning areas, including violent crime involving knives, fraud and theft.

He said: "Greater confidence to report crime and changes to crime recording contribute to some of the increases but many are real rises.

“Additional temporary funding from government has enabled forces to do more to suppress violence by increasing targeted patrols and stop and search.

"Bringing down violence will continue to be a top police priority. Tackling the causes of violence needs a united effort across government and society."

Violent crime in Derbyshire reaches record high, according to new statisticsCriminal damage in Erewash, which includes arson and vandalising cars and houses, has gone down, from 1,067 incidents in 2017-18, to 1,035 in the latest figures.

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

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

In Erewash, there were 208 incidents recorded between April 2018 and March 2019, a 10% rise on the previous year, when 189 crimes were reported.

There were also 322 cases of stalking and harassment reported over the same period.

Asst Chief Constable Kem Mehmet said: “Derbyshire Constabulary is committed to providing a quality service to victims of crime; putting victims at the heart of our service and preventing harm, especially to the most vulnerable.

“Pivotal to this is improving the quality and completeness of recorded crime, in line with the National Crime Recording Standards, Home Office Counting Rules and the Code of Ethics.

This is to ensure that victims receive appropriate support, safeguarding and resolution.

“Following the publication of the HMICFRS Crime Data Integrity inspection report, Derbyshire have put in place an extensive programme of activity to drive these improvements in recording.

“As a result of this activity, Derbyshire have recorded significant increases in crime, in particular Violence Against the Person, Public Order and Sexual Offences, since March 2019.”

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation, commented: "These figures come as no surprise and rightly cause alarm bells.

"For far too long, crime and policing has not been taken seriously enough.

"To make a real impact on our operational performance we need thousands of new officers.

"This should be the priority of the new Government which should be determined to protect the safety and security of everyone in the country."