Drop in burglaries and overall crime in Staffordshire

The number of burglaries, robberies and sex offences reported have fallen in Staffordshire, according to the latest Home Office figures.

Staffordshire Police is one of only four forces in the country to see a drop in overall crime, with a four per cent decrease in the total number of crimes recorded (excluding fraud) compared with year ending September 2018.

The figures released today (Jan 23) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a 17 per cent fall in burglaries reported and a 14 per cent drop in violence with injury offences.

Sex offences reported in Staffordshire fell by seven per cent, while robberies dropped two per cent.

Criminal damage and arson saw an 11 per cent decrease, with public order offences down by six per cent.

Additionally, improvements were made in terms of bike theft and vehicle offences, which reduced by 24 per cent and ten per cent respectively.

Temporary Chief Constable, Nick Baker, said: “We are working hard to tackle crime in Staffordshire and we are pleased to see a reduction of 17 per cent in burglaries.

“We welcome these latest Home Office figures - and while we’re delighted that we’re one of only four forces in the country to see a drop in overall crime – we recognise there is a lot of work to be done.

“Overall crime has fallen by four per cent, burglaries have fallen by 17 per cent and sex offences, robberies and public order offences have dropped in our county.

“However, we need to focus on the increase in reported cases of stalking and harassment, theft from person and drugs offences.

“Since these figures were collated we have joined forces with partner agencies to raise awareness of stalking with a comprehensive media and social media campaign detailing the four warning signs to be watch out for.”

Mr Baker said Staffordshire Police would continue to prioritise the crimes that caused the greatest harm, as well as tackling the issues that caused local concern.

“As a force we continue to focus on crime prevention through better intelligence, working with our partners and taking robust action.”