August 3, 2022 8.43 am This story is over 19 months old

Lincolnshire Police respond to rising crime figures

Sexual offences are up 34% and robberies up 28%
Some crimes are back to pre-pandemic levels | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire Police say they’re working to tackle increasing crime figures as sexual offences, violence and robberies all rise.

Crimes are up 10% in Lincolnshire according to the annual crime stats, with 53,912 crimes recorded in the 12 months up to March 2022.

Sexual offences saw the biggest jump, with reported crimes up 34% to 2419 compared to the previous year, while robberies went up 28% to 338.

The force says they now have a dedicated lead focusing on violence against woman and girls.

The rise in crimes may be down to figures returning to normal after a lull during the pandemic lockdowns.

Meanwhile, there has been a large fall in the number of drug offences reported, down 24% to 1362.

Lincolnshire Police say they are focusing on areas of concern to the public | Photo: Steve Smailes

A total of 6.3 million crimes were reported by police forces that year, which the Office for National Statistics says was slightly higher than pre-Covid levels.

However, Lincolnshire ranked as the most crime-free county in the East Midlands by person.

There were 70 offences for every 1000 people, compared to 85 in Nottinghamshire, 90 in Leicestershire and 98 in Humberside.

The most common crime in Lincolnshire was violence against the person, which rose to 22,250 separate incidents (including both those which did and didn’t cause injuries). There were also 13 homicides in this time.

Thefts in Lincolnshire rose 8% to 14,562, according to the figures, with burglaries up 1% to 3067.

Criminal damage and arson was also up 9% to 6236.

Possession for weapons offences decreased 6% to 496.

Chris Davison, Assistant Chief Constable at Lincolnshire Police. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police

Lincolnshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Chris Davison said: “We have seen some of our crime levels increase to pre-Covid levels, and some of this was to be expected as the county moved out of lockdown. However, we continue to show good performance against other areas of the East Midlands, with Lincolnshire showing fewer crimes per 100,000 residents than any other force in the region.

“We’re working hard to address the most concerning offences, such as violence, robbery, drug offences and offences against women and girls.  This has been bolstered by our ongoing recruitment campaign, which has seen additional resources ploughed into our frontline policing teams.

“We have a dedicated lead focussing on violence and offences against women and girls, and we will be working with partners to make further progress in this area.  We know this is a concern among our communities and we are committed to listening to them and hearing of their experiences.

“We are fortunate to have a supportive and diligent population in the county who continue to provide us with help and information that we need to combat offending and keep Lincolnshire a safe place to live, work and visit.”

Crimes can be reported on 101 or through the police website, or on 999 in an emergency.