Understanding the impact of coronavirus on crime in Hartlepool

Community safety chiefs raised the importance of recognising the impact of coronavirus after the performance report for January to March 2020 was presented to the Safer Hartlepool Partnership.

The report showed an overall 3.5% drop in crime compared to the same period last year, with 2,851 recorded incidents compared to 2,955 in 2019.

Rachel Parker, community safety team leader, said the figures would have been brought forward sooner if not for the coronavirus outbreak, and they will need to assess the impact of Covid-19 on future crime prevention work.

She said: "Going forward we need to now concentrate on understanding the impact that Covid has or hasn't had on the work of the Safer Hartlepool Partnership, and how we can address new issues which have come as a result of the pandemic."

She added the figures are the last to be presented under the outgoing community safety plan, with a new document now drawn up which will feature different indicators and content.

Cllr John Tennant noted the figures for shoplifting, which dropped 45% from 524 in 2019 to 288 for the period in 2020, could be impacted by the coronavirus and the start of lockdown in March.

He said: "The opportunity wasn't necessarily there for people to commit the crime.

"I don't want that particular recorded information to be used as a reason not to highlight shoplifting as a way of tackling crime over the next few months as shops reopen and people go back out again.

"I don't want people to say there's been a 45% reduction, shoplifting isn't really a problem, when it's not really quantifiable."

Ms Parker added she would envisage for the future April to June report shoplifting would have 'virtually disappeared' off the scale and they will continue to look at the issue going forward, although it may not be a priority indicator.

Cllr Shane Moore, council leader, warned while incidents such as shoplifting may have decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic, they could see a rise in other crimes in future reports.

He said: "While that type of opportunistic crime, while that wasn't there, we will obviously I would imagine see a rise in other crimes, especially more domestic items."

Figures also showed from January to March 2020 recorded anti-social behaviour incidents in Hartlepool decreased from the previous year, dropping from 1,102 to 951, a drop of 14%.

Crimes which saw increases during the period include criminal damage and arson, which rose by 81 incidents to 458, public disorder, which rose from 158 to 196 incidents, and drug offences, which rose from 63 to 89.

The Mail reported in May how official crime figures indicated the amount of offences reported to Cleveland Police throughout Hartlepool during March 2020 was nearly nine per cent less than 12 months previously.

The overall number of incidents reported across the force during the same period was also more than 16% down compared to March 2019.

The force described the reduction as “not surprising”.

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