Slight fall in recorded crime across West Mercia

However, the figures mask sharp variations between different types of offences, with a rise of 25 per cent in the number of thefts from the person, and a 13 per cent increase in the number of shoplifting cases.

Stalking offences were up by nine per cent.

The number of drug offences, on the other hand, fell by 15 per cent, and burglaries were down by nine per cent.

Theft continued to be the biggest source of crime in the area, which covers Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire, accounting for 32,707 offences, up two per cent from last year.

The rise in thefts from the person contrast with a seven per cent fall in the number of robberies – the two offences are differentiated by the use of force, with robbery classified as violent crime.

Total violent crime in the force area also showed a slight fall, from 28,016 offences last year to 27,965 crimes this year.

Possession of offensive weapon cases increased by seven per cent to 721.

Over the border

West Mercia fared better than the neighbouring Dyfed-Powys police, which saw an eight per cent rise in crime over the year up until June.

This included a 34 per cent rise in public order offences, and a 67 per cent rise in stalking.

Dyfed-Powys also saw a 16 per cent increase in shoplifting over the same time.

Reported robberies in Dyfed-Powys fell by 11 per cent over the year, while offences for the possession of a weapon were down by 16 per cent.

The neighbouring West Midlands force saw a seven per cent increase in recorded crime over the year, which was still below the national average.

National picture

Across England and Wales, overall crime rose by almost 10 per cent, from 4.5 million offences last year to 4.98 million this year.

This included 719 murders, a nine per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The figures do not include fraud offences, which are now dealt with separately by the national police organisation Action Fraud.

The London and Manchester terror attacks are also excluded from the figures.

The other measure used to track levels of offending, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), showed most types of crime have stayed at similar levels to the previous year, including violence.

However, estimates drawn from the survey did show an eight per cent increase in theft compared with the previous year.

Variations

Joe Traynor from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice said: "Over recent decades, we've seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has been more stable.

"The latest figures show no change in the total level of crime but variation by crime types.

"We saw rises in some types of theft and in some lower-volume but higher-harm types of violence, balanced by a fall in the high-volume offence of computer misuse.

"There was no change in other high-volume offences such as overall violence, criminal damage and fraud.

"To put today's crime survey figures into context, only two out of 10 adults experienced crime in the latest year."

Action Fraud recorded 288,703 offences over the same time period, an increase of eight per cent.