Violent crime and sex offences rose in Northampton last year despite drop in national figures

Violent crime and sex offences rose in Northampton last year despite a decrease in overall recorded crime across England and Wales.

Northamptonshire Police recorded 10,556 incidents of violent crime in Northampton during the 12 months to September — a five percent increase on the previous year — according to the Office for National Statistics.

At 47.1 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales which stood at 32.3.

The force also saw 1,172 sexual offences reported, an eight percent rise.

One of the main factors behind the increase in Northampton was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by a quarter from 2,746 incidents to 3,420.

There were two homicides — which include murders and manslaughters — the same number as in the previous 12 months.

Four men were found guilty of murder and one was convicted of manslaughter over the death of Christopher Allbury-Burridge at his Northampton home in December 2020 and jailed for a total of 92 years.

Grant Richard Harding, 28, is set to face trial later this year after denying murdering 44-year-old Robert Jadecki in Semilong last June.

Around 5.8 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in the year to September – a two percent rise compared to the previous year – though there was a one percent drop to 4.9 million offences when excluding cases of fraud and computer misuse.

The total number of offences in Northampton increased by two percent, with police recording 24,758 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 110.4 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 82.4.

Other crimes recorded in Northampton included:

■ 6,418 theft offences, down four percent

■ 2,308 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up one percent

■ 853 drug offences, down 23 percent

■ 308 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 16 percent

■ 2,255 public order offences, up 27 percent

Police forces across England and Wales logged the highest number of rapes and sexual offences in a 12-month period in the year to September, the figures show.

Around 63,100 rapes were recorded in the year to September, according to the Office for National Statistics, up 13 percent from the previous period.

This was the highest recorded annual figure to date and included 17,400 offences between July and September – the highest quarterly figure.

The ONS said the latest figures may reflect several factors, including the 'impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people’s willingness to report incidents to the police, as well as a potential increase in the number of victims' and it urged caution when interpreting the data.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Nobody should have to experience the horror of rape and other sexual crimes.

“It’s encouraging that more victims of sexual violence are coming forward, and we’ve been clear that police must raise the bar in handling such cases so victims know that they will be taken seriously and criminals responsible are put behind bars."