Latest crime statistics indicate better reporting to police, but some increases in violent crime

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Crime and Incident Recording Chief Constable Bill Skelly said:

“The latest crime statistics show that total levels of crime are broadly stable compared with recent years. Police forces continue to see increases driven by better recording procedures and improved victim confidence in coming forward to report crimes like domestic violence and non-recent sexual abuse.

“There are some genuine increases that police forces across the country are responding to, particularly with regard to 14 per cent rise in knife crime and 13 per cent increase in firearms offences. The trend – which had been declining for many years but has now begun to climb more sharply – is a key priority for the police service. Forces will continue to target habitual offenders and conduct wide-ranging proactive operations to seize thousands of illegal weapons before they can be used to cause harm.

“The experimental statistics also highlight the complex picture around fraud and computer misuse with significant increases and an estimated 5.4 million incidents occurring in the last 12 months. Police forces are working with partners both locally and nationally to strengthen peoples’ defences against online crime and develop new tactics and capabilities for digital policing to tackle the cyber threat.”

The full ONS release is available here.