CRIME in Warwickshire has dropped by five per cent over the past year – more than the national average.
Reports of crime across the whole of England and Wales have decreased by just three per cent, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
In Warwickshire, knife crime dropped by 18 per cent, which the county’s police force said could be attributed to several operations – including Operation Sceptre which co-ordinates knife amnesties, and Operation Talkative, which encourages the anonymous reporting of knife possession.
Vehicle offences in the county went down by 13 per cent, and there was a 14 per cent reduction in offences involving criminal damage and arson – beating the national average reductions of six per cent in both respective areas.
However, violence with injury rose by three per cent, and sexual offences by two per cent.
Robberies went up by seven per cent – in line with a national increase of around eight per cent across the country.
Warwickshire Police’s Ch Cons Debbie Tedds said: “We are happy to see that our efforts in crime reduction across the county have paid off overall, particularly for knife crime, criminal damage, and vehicle offences. I’d like to thank the officers involved for their tireless work in bringing these figures down – your efforts are bearing fruit.
“I am not complacent about those areas where we have seen an unfortunate increase, however small, and we will be redoubling our efforts to deliver the best possible service for victims, to identify offenders, and to see justice delivered.”
