West Mercia Police in pledge after crime up by 14 per cent
West Mercia Police say they remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable people – as it emerged crime in the region has increased by 14 per cent.
Superintendent Jason Wells, of West Mercia Police, believes the increase is affected by several factors, including increased trust and confidence in reporting by victims.
It comes as figures released by the Office for National Statistics show in West Mercia, house burglaries have gone up by 42 per cent, robberies have increased by 25 per cent and violence by 19 per cent in 12 months, from June last year to June this year.
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Superintendent Wells said: "We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities.
"The latest figures show a 14 percent increase in reported crime in the last year. Such increases are affected by a number of factors, including process improvements and increased trust and confidence in reporting by victims.
"It is West Mercia Police’s priority to protect people from harm and tackling violent crime is a big part of achieving this.
"Using violence against another person is completely unacceptable. We take such incidents seriously and will do all we can to bring those responsible to justice and ensure that we treat all victims with compassion and sensitivity.
"We understand that the impact of someone breaking into your home or being threatened in a robbery can never be underestimated, and keeping these levels of crimes low will remain a priority.
"Our work would not be possible without the close support of our community partners and the public, and we will keep engaging with communities and our partners to target our resources on the crimes of greatest concern to the public and where we can be most effective."
Figures released by the ONS also revealed in Dyfed-Powys, crime rose by three per cent in the 12-month period.
House burglaries are up 14 per cent, robberies 67 per cent and violence 18 per cent.
A statement on behalf of Dyfed-Powys Police said: "Here in Dyfed-Powys we have introduced new crime recording practices which has meant we are better at more accurately reflecting the crime reported to us within our crime statistics, providing a better service to our communities.
"Whilst we acknowledge there has been an increase in recorded incidents, it is important to exercise some caution when viewing crime figures in percentage terms when the incident numbers remain relatively low.
"For example, robbery offences are showing an increase of 67 per cent, but this is only 19 additional offences in real terms, which whilst still concerning has to be viewed in this context.
"In some specific categories there have been changes to the types of crimes included in the figures. A good example of this is in regard to violent crimes, which have risen by 18 per cent, but now also encompass harassment type offences conducted over social media and other online spaces."
The number of crimes recorded annually in England and Wales has passed the five million mark for the first time in 10 years, rising by 13 per cent, figures also show.
