Figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed that crime rose by 2% on the Isle of Wight between July 2017 and June 2018.
There were a total of 10,369 offences recorded on the Island between July ’17 and June ’18, a rise of 205 from the same period in 2016-2017. That equates to a 2% rise in crime levels locally.
That said, crime such as theft have dropped by 10% and drugs-related offences have dropped by as much as 17%. The total number of offences relating to gun and knife possession was 97 – a drop of 2.
Hampshire Constabulary recorded 462 sexual-related crimes on the Island over the 12 month period, 628 instances of stalking or harassment and 1,316 crimes relating to criminal damage.
The Isle of Wight still remains, statistically, a safer place to live than other parts of the country. There were 74 crimes per 1,000 population during the recording period, compared to the average of 84 for England and Wales.
John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation for England and Wales, has spoken out about the rise in crime and its relation to budget cuts…
“I don’t accept that the rise in crime, particularly violent crime, is not linked to the dwindling numbers of police officers, police staff and other resources. Police forces have seen budgets slashed and officers working ever longer hours with reduced resilience because of the cuts introduced against a background of austerity.
“A Government’s first priority is to protect its citizens; by slashing the very people who are there to protect them they have failed to do this and that is shameful. They now have a chance to address this in the next Comprehensive Spending Review. They must act but I hope it’s not too late because as these crime figures demonstrate, the public are being severely let down and it’s not by the police service.”
Article continues below this advertisement “It didn’t take a crystal ball to predict these shocking increases because they only reflect what we have been telling the Government for years – we need more boots on the ground.”
Nationally, rape offences have risen by 21%, with an 18 % increase in sexual offences overall. Robbery is up by 22% and there has been a 30% increase in public order offences. There has been a 36% increase in stalking and harassment.
