Crime rate falls in Nottinghamshire

The Office of National Statistics released figures which show how police forces across the country have done in comparison to each other up to December last year.

These ONS figures show the crime rates only to the end of the last year but the force’s own more recent figures, to the end of March 2020, show that the force has actually reduced crime by 0.5 percent.

Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: "We know that the crime rates to last December continued to reduce and our year end figure at the end of March showed a reduction against the national trend. This is just what the public wants to see.

“This shows the amazing hard work of my officers and staff and their commitment to driving down these figures and dealing with all crime types.

“We’ve listened and responded to local priorities with our partners, honing in on problems which continue to threaten our communities including drug dealing, knife crime, burglary and serious violence.”

Knife crimes and burglaries have continued to reduce in Nottinghamshire according to the latest national statistics.

Robberies also remained stable in the figures for the year to December 2019 - bucking the national and regional trend of increased offending. They have now reduced under the previous year end number, bucking national trends.

The force has invested in specialist teams dedicated to tackling those particular offences.

Mr Guildford added: "The force has invested heavily in a programme of recruitment of officers to the front line over the last year and this is now paying off.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: “Investment in specialist teams to tackle knife crime, burglary and robbery are paying huge dividends and this work will only expand as we welcome on-board additional recruits in the months ahead. Not only are we seeing reductions in crime in these areas but also more arrests showing the hard-line approach to enforcement is working.”

Knife crime fell by eight percent in Nottinghamshire, compared to a rise of seven percent nationally and an increase of 13 percent regionally.

By March it had reduced by 14 percent.

Nottinghamshire also bucked the trend for robberies - with offences remaining at the same level as last year, while offences rose by 12 percent nationally and by six percent across the East Midlands. Reported robberies reduced to a level under that previously recorded by then of March this year.

Burglaries fell by four percent in the county and have continued to fall further ahead of the current Covid lockdown situation.

Other key reductions for Nottinghamshire include sexual offences (down by five percent), theft (down by four percent) and vehicle crime (down by seven percent). Rape offences reduced by 12 percent by the end of March.

Overall, the number of reported crimes increased by four percent in the year to December 2019 - in line with the national average but continued to fall each month before moving under last year's position by March at -0.5%.