Large rise in weapon offences in Peterborough - as household burglary, stalking and shoplifting also on the rise
The number of drug offences recorded in Peterborough has risen by 62 per cent in just a year, new figures have shown.
The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, show that there were 412 possession of weapon offences recorded in Peterborough in 2025 – up 13 per cent compared to the previous year. England as a whole saw a 5 per cent rise.
The latest data also shows that overall, crime has risen in Peterborough by four per cent, with 23,416 offences recorded in the city last year.
Cambridgeshire Police have said that ‘Tackling violent crime is one of our top priorities’ – but they were ‘encouraged’ to see that victims of crime were coming forward to report it.
Along with the rise in crime overall and possession of weapons offences, one of the striking statistics was the 62 per cent increase in drug offending – compared to 17 per cent across England as a whole.
In Peterborough, there were also increases in residential burglary (17 per cent), shoplifting (14 per cent), sexual offences (12 per cent), stalking (12 per cent) and violence (six per cent.)
There were, however, decreases in some offending, including non residential burglary (down 10 per cent), theft from the person (down 30 per cent), and public order offences (down 12 per cent).
A Cambridgeshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “Tackling violent crime is one of our top priorities and we use a number of tactics to tackle and reduce this issue including delivering dedicated operations, working with partners and taking part in national initiatives such as knife and firearm surrender schemes.
“While we take the rise in crime exceptionally seriously, we are also encouraged to see that members of the community and victims of crime such as sexual offences have the confidence to report incidents to us and we would encourage them to continue doing so.
“Burglary is a priority area for the force and our dedicated Acquisitive Crime Teams (ACT) are working hard across the county to arrest those responsible for and put them before the courts to stop further offences.
“Tackling crimes such as serious sexual offences, stalking and harassment are also priorities for the force. Reports will be taken very seriously, investigated thoroughly and victims will receive full support.
“We have a cohort of specially trained officers to support victims working within a dedicated rape investigation team that has a number of experienced specialist officers.
“We are committed to tackling crime and associated anti-social behaviour in the county and are working with partners and the business community to target shoplifting suspects and provide reassurance.
“For repeat offenders we are applying for criminal behaviour orders, preventing them from entering areas where they have previously committed crime.
“The formation of the spree offender teams has increased the number of positive outcomes for retail crime and is testament to this ongoing good work.
"We are also working closely with retailers to encourage reporting so that we get a true picture of the number of offences and can take action. This has contributed to an increase in reporting.
“We take all reports of crime seriously and continue to work tirelessly to keep Peterborough as safe as possible for residents by protecting victims and bringing criminals before the courts.”