Derbyshire sees crime figures rise

This latest update came from the Strategic Governance Board open meeting where questions were submitted by the general public and it was reported that Mick Creedon, the county’s Chief Constable, had noted the rise.

Latest figures show there has been a rise in violent crimes, reflecting an increasing trend nationally.

In Derbyshire, this type of crime rose by 9.3 per cent from 9,177 to 10,033. This is made up of 3,939 offences of ‘violence without injury,’ where the victim was not hurt, such as incidents of common assault, stalking and making threats.

Mr Creedon is the longest serving Chief Constable in the region and joined the force in 2003 and described the rise as ”moderate”.

He said: “Derbyshire has reduced recorded crime by 50 per cent over the past 11 years but there remains areas of concern.

“To address this, the force works closely with partner agencies and collaborates with four other regional forces, to provide the most effective service possible in several areas, including major crime.

“Derbyshire remains committed to local policing through neighbourhood policing teams and has strong community safety partnerships. This is one part of a strategy to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Another crime rise was in shoplifting where numbers have increased by 6.9 per cent, going from 5,778 to 6,176 crimes.

This type of theft has risen over the last five years and in 2014/15, represented 12 per cent of all crimes reported to Derbyshire police.

However, even with these figures, crime rates have fallen by 1.5 per cent since the previous year compared to the national results.

House burglaries fell by 6.6 per cent from 2,906 to 2,714 while robbery fell by just over 18 per cent from 629 to 515. In total there were 792 fewer victims of crime.