Violent crime rises by 19 per cent in the West Midlands

Knife crime in the region saw the biggest increase in the country, while the number of sexual offences recorded also increased by 19 per cent and house burglaries went up by 10 per cent over the period.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) report said the majority of police forces (37 of the 44) recorded a rise in offences involving knives and sharp instruments compared with the previous year.

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Nationally knife crime rose by nine per cent, but the ONS said the largest contributor to the total rise was West Midlands Police, which accounted for 18 per cent of the rise.

Knife offences went up from 26,843 to 29,306 across the country, with one in five of the extra offences taking place in the West Midlands. Offences inv

The area covered by West Midlands Police also saw offences involving the possession of weapons go up by 17 per cent.

Theft from person increased by 3 per cent and robbery went up by 6 per cent, while the murder rate remained static.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, said: "The Government needs to recognise that the police are dealing with increasingly complex crimes that require intensive investigative work and support police forces properly."

The wider West Midlands area - incorporating forces in Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia - saw crime rise by 9 per cent overall, with violent crime up by 28 per cent.

The figures show there were more than 100,000 violent offences, 63 murders, nearly 40,000 burglaries and 161,000 theft offences recorded across the region.

England and Wales saw an overall increase in crime of 8 per cent, including a 9 per cent rise in knife crime and a 7 per cent bump in gun crime.

The number of murders in England and Wales also jumped 20 per cent to 681, a rise of 144 – the highest level for more than five years.

Meanwhile in Staffordshire crime went up by 13 per cent overall, including a 33 per cent rise in violent crime.

The number of sexual offences recorded went up by 28 per cent and there was a 12 per cent rise in criminal damage and arson.

West Mercia Police reported a 13 per cent increase in recorded crime in the year to June, while Warwickshire Police had an 11 per cent rise.

The ONS said the rise in violent crime was largely due to improvements in recording practices, but did include 'a small but genuine increase in some categories of violent crime'.

The second ever estimate of online crime was also published as part of the report. It estimated there were 5.6 million fraud and computer misuse offences.

Nick Baker, Deputy Chief Constable at Staffordshire Police said:

"In Staffordshire, we've seen an increase in overall recorded crime statistics. Much of this is due to new crime categories – for instance, fraud and computer misuse offences, which were previously recorded differently. The crime statistics also reflect changes to the way we now define certain crime. In some areas – like robbery – we've seen a fall in offences. In others, such as public order offences, we're seeing a significant increase because of the way we record these, rather than any underlying surge in this type of crime.

"Significantly, we continue to see an increase in the reporting of historic rape cases – which we welcome – as we believe that the environment today means men and women who have been victims of these offences have more confidence in reporting these crimes to the police.

"But no police officer is complacent, and we continue to focus on crime prevention through better intelligence, working with our partners, and taking robust action against offenders when crime is committed, so that we can make the county a safer place to live, work and visit."

West Midlands Police Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said: "Like almost every force we have seen a rise in reported crime but this is lower than many others across the country.

"It is reassuring more victims of sexual offences are willing to speak up - rather than suffer in silence - and help us secure justice for them.

"Police forces now face different challenges because crime is changing. More complex crime, requiring specialist support to victims, like domestic abuse, online crime and sexual offences necessarily take longer to investigate thoroughly but we still tackle offences like burglary that can have a lasting personal impact.

"In West Midlands Police we are absolutely committed to preventing crime, protecting the public and helping those in need"

"We are going through a period of transformation as part of the WMP2020 programme to make us more agile in tackling every kind of crime; and more accessible to the public to meet our future challenges."

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson added: "These statistics confirm what I have consistently said for some time that crime is changing and not falling.

"We are seeing crimes such as sexual offences and fraud rise in prevalence and they require much more intensive police work and investigation than 'traditional' crimes.

"Crime is changing not falling and police forces need to be supported properly so that they can tackle new threats. I am modernising West Midlands Police and have announced plans to recruit 800 officers, 200 specialist staff and 150 PCSOs, to help fight crime and keep our communities safe."