Rise in number of crimes reported to Northamptonshire Police, latest figures reveal

The increase relates to crime reported from April 2017 to March 2018, compared to 2018/19, in the report by the Office for National Statistics published on Thursday (July 18).

In the breakdown of crimes, 'stalking and harassment' saw the biggest increase of 149 per cent, with 'public order offences' second-highest (55 per cent) and 'drug offences' third (35 per cent).

Reports of incidents of violence against a person went up by 23 per cent, sexual offences increased by 24 per cent, possession of weapon offences rose by 19 per cent and 'miscellaneous crimes against society' went up by 15 per cent.

Some crimes went down though, including robberies, shoplifting and non-residential burglaries.

In total, there were 60,771 crimes recorded in 2018/19, with 17 of those homicides and five were 'death or serious injury by unlawful driving' offences.

The figures came the day after Chief Constable Nick Adderley announced plans to restructure the Force along geographical lines that he says will deliver a more effective, responsive and visible police force to communities across the county.

Speaking at the announcement of the new approach, which will create two policing areas to mirror the new unitary authorities, Mr Adderly said there had been significant improvements in how the force was tackling crime.

“Some very significant improvements to the way we operate have already taken place since I took over almost 12 months ago and I’m confident this new model will make Northamptonshire Police even better placed to deliver our core purpose of fighting crime and protecting people," he said.

“We continue to face clear challenges within the county, but we are making real inroads as demonstrated by the success of the new dedicated burglary squad we established earlier this year and the fact that, in a few days time we will have 19 people appearing in court following Op Serpent, a major strike against County Lines operating between Kettering and London.

“There is still work to do, but I have complete confidence in our hard-working and very dedicated officers and staff to drive and deliver changes which will bring real positive change to the communities we serve. Crucially, we are working closely with HMICFRS and have a clear plan in place which focuses on improving performance across the organisation.”