Increase in Hartlepool sex offences as crime figures fall

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) data shows Cleveland Police recorded 374 incidents of sexual offences in Hartlepool in the 12 months to September – an increase of 12% compared to the previous year.

The rate of four crimes per 1,000 people was above the level in England and Wales, which stood at 2.9.

The total number of offences in the area fell by one per cent, with police recording 11,365 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate for the area at 120 per 1,000 people – compared to a national average of 82.4.

Other crimes recorded in Hartlepool included:

*4,355 violent offences, up five per cent.

*2,983 thefts, down 12%.

*1,445 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 13%.

*102 possession of weapons, down 16%.

*1,194 public order offences, up 14%.

Nationally around 5.8 million offences were recorded in England and Wales in the year to September.

This represents a two per cent rise compared to the previous year – though there was a one per cent drop to 4.9 million offences when cases of fraud and computer misuse were excluded from the figures.

Police forces across the two nations logged 63,100 rapes – up 13% from the previous year.

The ONS said the latest figures may reflect several factors, including the “impact of high-profile incidents and campaigns on people’s willingness to report incidents to the police”.