Dramatic drop in crime in Mansfield linked to lockdowns

One of the initiatives introduced by police in Mansfield last year was this 'knife arch' at McDonald's in Westgate to raise awareness of knife crime.

The latest figures show that 8,954 offences were recorded in Mansfield during the 12 months to March this year.

That’s a decrease of 23 per cent from the previous year when there were 11,675.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which compiled the data, said the “substantial” fall was linked to the two lockdowns that were imposed last year.

Billy Gazard, of the ONS, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the patterns of crime.

"There were large decreases in theft offences, such as domestic burglary, as more people stayed at home and limited their social contact.”

At 81.9 crimes per 1,000 people, the Mansfield rate was still higher than the national rate of 77.6.

But in most categories, the town showed a big reduction, with the number of theft offences down by 40 per cent to 2,298.

Sexual offences dropped by 23 per cent to 295, while incidents of criminal damage and arson fell by 22 per cent to 1,113.

The number of violent offences decreased by 17 per cent to 3,427 and the number of public-order offences by 11 per cent to 715.

Drugs offences went up by seven per cent to 568, but the number of stalking and harassment offences dropped by three per cent to 1,186.

The latter figure bucked the national trend, which showed an increase in cyber stalking cases during the pandemic.

'Barely the cost of a cup of coffee' - King's Mill Hospital staff slam NHS pay o...

The statistics for Mansfield reflected a countywide improvement, with crime falling by 21 per cent in Nottinghamshire as a whole, compared to 14 per cent across England and Wales.

And Chief Constable Craig Guildford was keen to stress that the figures “confirmed the continuation of some extremely positive trends witnessed before the start of the pandemic”.

He added: “I am delighted that we are out-performing almost every other force in the country.

"Some of the biggest falls have been reported in areas where we have taken the decision to invest in specialist teams of frontline officers and detectives.

"In uniquely difficult and demanding circumstances, our officers and staff members have risen to the challenge.”

The county’s new police and crime commissioner, Caroline Henry, said: “Now the challenge is to sustain this downward trend.”

Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user-experience. Click here to subscribe.