Big surge in violent crime in Derbyshire Dales

But with no official crime statistics yet published for the coronavirus lockdown period, police chiefs say their own figures show overall crime remains far below normal levels.

Derbyshire Constabulary recorded 1,154 incidents of violent crime in Derbyshire Dales in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That was an increase of 77 per cent compared to the previous year.

One of the main factors behind the increase in Derbyshire Dales was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by 215 per cent, from 114 incidents to 359.

Offences of violence with injury increased by four per cent and violence without injury by 139 per cent, reaching 377 and 418 respectively.

Other crimes recorded in Derbyshire Dales included 99 sexual offences, 1,075 theft offences, 381 incidents of criminal damage and arson, 98 drug offences, 26 offences of possessing of weapons such as firearms or knives and 288 public order offences.

The total number of offences in Derbyshire Dales increased by 27 per cent, with police recording 3,241 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 45 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 88.9.

Assistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet, of Derbyshire Police, said: “Derbyshire Constabulary is absolutely committed to providing a quality service to victims of crime. In every decision the victim is at the heart of what we do and every day we work hard to prevent 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 in 2019, Derbyshire 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.

“HMICFRS later conducted an interim inspection at Derbyshire Constabulary in October 2019 and deemed that good progress is being made in terms of improving the accuracy of crime recording.

“Whilst regionally there will be differences in increases of recorded crime, this is due to the fact that the inspection programme has taken place over a number of years with Derbyshire being the last to receive it.

"This means other forces in the region will have shown increases in previous years.

“In the latest crime statistics there is clear evidence of this change – with percentage increases well above those other forces in the region – in particular violence against the person, stalking and harassment, public order sexual offences and robbery which have all seen increases since last June.

“A further reason for the rise in violence and sexual offences is due to greater reporting, and officers and staff knowledge, around crimes linked to domestic abuse.

"Offences of stalking and harassment are classed as violent offences which will have made up a significant proportion of the rise.

“As a force we have put significant investment in ensuring officers and staff are able to identify domestic abuse, offer support to survivors and provide the appropriate outcome through a combination of safeguarding, diversionary tactics and the criminal justice system.

“With increased knowledge within the force, coupled with much greater awareness from the general public, it is positive to see an increase in a crime type that is known to be under reported.

“Offences involving knives and firearms are of course troubling, but the increase is in line with the national average. That is not to say that we are not tackling these offences.

“As a force we have a nationally recognised knife crime operation in the form of Project Zao which, with the support of partners, shows those most at risk of carrying a knife the realities of knife crime.

“Every day officers work with regional, national and international partners to disrupt the supply of firearms and help find those who are carrying these weapons.

“While recorded offences have increased Derbyshire remains a safe place to live, work and visit and that is clear from the data which shows that the county has the lowest rate of offences per 1,000 people – as well as being someway below the national average.”

Overall, police recorded three per cent more crime across England and Wales – there were almost 5.8 million offences in the year to March – although this figure excludes crime recorded by Greater Manchester Police, whose data was compromised after the installation of new IT software.

The increase was largely driven by rises in stalking and harassment and fraud and computer misuse, which both jumped by 12 per cent.

However, the ONS said stalking and harassment figures may have been affected by improvements in the way police record crime, which could explain the large increase.

The ONS also said crime figures were largely unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic, as the period covered was mostly pre-lockdown.

However, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) says its own provisional figures, which cover the four weeks to July 5, show crime has fallen by 14 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Chief Constable Andy Cooke, NPCC lead for crime, said: “The vast majority of the public continue to follow the rules in place to limit the spread of the virus, and as a result, we have seen sustained reductions in crime over the course of the lockdown period.

"It is no surprise that as more people are able to move around freely, we will begin to see movement towards previous levels.

"However, this is a gradual change.”

Mr Cooke added that previous reductions in reports of rape appeared to be slowing, suggesting they may soon return to 2019 levels.

He continued: “This is likely to be a combination of increased opportunities for wider social contact and easing of restrictions, making it easier for victims to report rape and assault.

“Please report to us if you have been a victim of rape, assault or domestic abuse – wherever or whenever it happened.

"We will do all we can to investigate and there are many excellent organisations who can provide support and advice.”