North Yorkshire officially the lowest crime area in England

Official figures released today show North Yorkshire has the lowest crime rate in England.

Published today, the "Crime Statistics for England and Wales, year ending September 2015" report has placed the North Yorkshire Police area in the top position as the lowest crime location in England.

There were a total of 35,615 crimes in North Yorkshire giving a crime rate of 44.2 per 1,000 of the population. While this reflects a 3% rise in crime in comparison to the same period the previous year, it is below the 6% national increase and takes into account improved crime recording standards.

Broken down into the main crime categories, the Office of National Statistics’ figures for North Yorkshire show:

• Domestic Burglary reduced by 12% (1,371 crimes in total, 184 fewer crimes) with Overall Burglary down by 4% (3,988 crimes in total, 158 fewer crimes. Non-domestic Burglary increased by 1% (2,617 crimes in total, 26 more crimes)
  Criminal Damage and Arson up by 4% (5,531 crimes in total, 230 more crimes)
• 6% reduction in Vehicle Offences (2,213 crimes in total, 134 fewer crimes)
• Robbery increased by 18% (159 crimes in total, 24 more crimes)
• 5% decrease in Theft Offences (16,671 crimes in total, 963 fewer crimes)
• Sexual Offences up by 29% (1,126 crimes in total, 254 more crimes). North Yorkshire police put this rise down to a positive reflection of the confidence victims have in North Yorkshire Police, particularly those making historical complaints. This has been influenced by Operation Yewtree and Operation Hibiscus (Jimmy Savile/Peter Jaconelli investigations), and the opening of a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in York over two years ago.
• Violence Against the Person went up by 22% (8,184 crimes in total, 1,491 more crimes). This is largely attributable to the Violence without Injury category. This includes Common Assault and Harassment offences. Recent analysis confirmed this rise is linked to improved recording following a recent HMIC inspection, an increase in historical reports, increased pro-activity around enforcement of orders and improved victim confidence
• Drug Offences decreased by 1% (1,955 crimes in total, 20 fewer crimes)
• Possession of Weapons Offences down by 15% (186 crimes in total, 32 fewer crimes)
• Public Order Offences decreased by 2% (1,260 crimes in total, 24 fewer crimes)
• Miscellaneous Crimes Against Society, which includes the possession and publication of extreme sexual images, went up by 8% (543 crimes in total, 40 more crimes)
• Shoplifting increased by a marginal 1% (4,019 crimes in total, 28 more crimes)
• 11% reduction in Bicycle Theft (1,269 crimes in total, 151 fewer crimes.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy said: “It is very pleasing that North Yorkshire remains the safest and lowest crime area in England. This is the result of hard work and determination by the many people connected to North Yorkshire Police, our community partners, and invaluable support from residents and businesses across the county.

“As ever, there is no room for complacency and we are very mindful of the national and local trend of increases in recorded crime, which can be viewed as a positive reflection of victim confidence in the police service.

“We will continue to do everything possible to target criminals and keep them at bay from the vast majority of decent, law-abiding people who we are proud to serve.”

In response to today’s crime statistics from the ONS, Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, said, "I am pleased to see that North Yorkshire remains the safest place in the country.  This is not by happenstance, so my thanks go to the police officers and staff who work so hard to keep us safe. What's more, we are not resting on our laurels. I will continue to focus on the public's priorities, including to protect vulnerable people, which 90% of you put top of your list when I asked for your help to shape North Yorkshire's police and crime plan.

“Whilst being the safest place in the country is welcome, reported crime has gone up. This can be partly explained by more rigorous recording practices, but there are also increases in violence and sexual offences across England and Wales.  Some of this may be down to increased confidence in the police, which I welcome, but I know the Chief Constable is also focused on the root causes of these increases and preventing crime rising further still.

“All in all though, North Yorkshire residents and visitors can be reassured they are in the safest place in the country, helping us all to go about our daily lives with confidence.”

 National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Crime Recording, Chief Constable Jeff Farrar said, "It is good news that the number of people reporting crimes against them has fallen 30 per cent since 2010 and 66 per cent since peak levels in 1995.  The 6 per cent increase in police recorded crime reflects our work to improve crime recording across the country.  Many of the notable increases in specific crimes are attributed to more reporting and better recording.

"The NPCC Lead for Child Protection Chief Constable Simon Bailey has said that increased confidence of victims to report crimes to the police has resulted in the significant increase in recorded crime but that, as the numbers continue to increase, we need to consider whether more offences are being perpetrated and he is looking at this issue.

"We believe that the increase in knife crime is about more than changes in recording and that the number of people carrying knives is on the rise. This is a worrying development after many years of reducing knife crime and chief officers are working together to determine how best to respond."

"Police chiefs are working individually, collectively and closely with key partners to adapt to the threats we are facing today and will do in the future so we can continue to reduce the number of people impacted by crime in the UK."