Peterborough crime increases by 12 per cent - with rises in violence, sexual offences and burglary

The number of crimes recorded in Peterborough over the past 12 months increased by more than 2,000, official figures have shown.

In the year up to June 2022, there were 23,085 crimes recorded in the city – up by 12 per cent compared to the same period the year before.

Figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, showed there was a rise in violent offences, also by 12 per cent in the same period.

There was a big increase in non-residential burglaries, which saw a 38 per cent rise, and sexual offences, with an 18 per cent rise.

The statistics show a slight decrease in residential burglaries, which fell by one per cent, while bicycle thefts fell by five per cent. There was also a fall in drug offences recorded.

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 harnessing the learning from recent academic research and government guidance on best practice in the investigation of serious sexual offences in an effort to ensure the people of Cambridgeshire continue to receive the high level of service they need in this important area of policing.”