Crime plummets during pandemic

Recorded crime saw a 25 per cent year-on-year drop in April, followed by a 20 per cent fall in May, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

But West Mercia Victim Support said while there had been a fall in some crimes other areas had seen an increase.

The figures show that while reported thefts fell to less than half the level recorded the previous year, drug offences surged.

April’s figures showed a 22 per cent increase in the number of offences recorded compared to the same month in 2019, while May’s figures saw a 44 per cent year-on-year increase.

The ONS put this down to proactive police activity in pursuing these crimes during the lockdown period.

John Campion, police and crime commissioner for West Mercia, said: “As a result of social restrictions there were fewer people out on the streets, with more officers visible in our community and able to take proactive action against drug offences.”

Violent crime

Violent crime fell during April, but rose by 13 per cent in May when it returned to close to the levels before lockdown.

Billy Gazard, from the ONS, said: “There was a significant fall in crime at the height of the coronavirus pandemic across England and Wales.

"This was driven by reductions in theft offences, particularly domestic burglary and theft of personal property. As this period coincided with the majority of people spending long periods at home during lockdown, it is not unexpected.”

A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police said the lockdown saw significant fall in crime, followed by a gradual increase as life began to return to normal.

“When lockdown began we were intensely aware of the potential impact on the most vulnerable in our communities," she said.

"We worked proactively to reach out to potential victims of domestic abuse, and let them know we are always here for them.

“This included promoting the ‘silent solution’ when calling 999, which allows people to let our operators know they need assistance even when it’s not safe to talk.”

Charity

While overall crime fell sharply during the lockdown period, a charity for victims of crime said it also saw an increase in offences such as domestic abuse.

West Mercia Victim Support added that many of these crimes may have been under-reported because it was more difficult for victims to contact police.

Chris Hodson, senior operations manager at the charity, said while some crimes fell during the lockdown, the charity saw an increase in demands for its services in other areas.

He said: “We’ve seen a significant rise in people from West Mercia contacting us for help as a result of other crimes such as domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and hate crime as lockdown eased – and we’re still anticipating further increases.”

Mr Hodson added that the lockdown restrictions resulted in many crimes being under-reported, as victims were not in a position to report incidents safely.

“We ensured that all our local services, including the 24/7 Supportline and live chat services, remained open during lockdown so that people had somewhere to go for safe and confidential support,” he said.

Monthly police recorded data show a reduction in crime during the lockdown period.

In March 2020, the police recorded 442,816 crimes, down five per cent compared to February.

This fell to 354,334 offences in April, a decrease of 20 per cent compared to the previous month.

However during May, when some of the lockdown restrictions were eased, the number of crimes recorded rose by 12 per cent.

April 2020 was the only month where full UK lockdown measures were applied throughout, during which time the police recorded the lowest monthly crime figures for April in five years.