ONS releases latest crime figures

The Office for National Statistics has released its latest crime figures for England and Wales.

The figures, which show the total number of crimes recorded between March 2018 and March 2019, state that 58,536 crimes were recorded in Gwent, a rise of 20 per cent on the previous year.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, said: “Since 2016, the actual number of recorded crimes has increased steadily. However, this does not mean necessarily that the actual number of incidents in Gwent have increased by anything like this percentage.

“Whilst I am reassured that the increases in recorded crime are attributable largely to improved crime data integrity, not to any significant change in the real level of crime, each recorded crime has to be managed.

“This demand on our police service looks set to continue to grow.

“Police forces need additional support, along with appropriate levels of funding from UK Government, to ensure that we are able to continue to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“As always, I will discuss these latest figures in depth with the Chief Constable to ascertain what action we can take in order to make Gwent a safer place to live, work and visit.”

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Jon Edwards of Gwent Police, said: “This increase in recorded crime is due in large part to our improvement in crime recording practices, and can be seen in many Police Forces across England and Wales.

“For example, many incidents previously classified as antisocial behaviour are now being recorded as public order crimes, while we have also seen improvements in the recording of stalking and harassment offences.

“We are committed to providing the best possible policing service, and I would like to reassure our communities that Gwent remains a safe place to visit, live and work.”