Tis the season... to be in a prison cell

While many people will spend Christmas Eve rushing around with some last minute shopping, trying to beat the traffic, or preparing a festive feast, hundreds of others are the victims of crime or face the night in a police cell.

The number of people arrested on Christmas Eve has soared in the past three years in Kent, according to statistics from Kent Police released under a Freedom of Information request by the KM.

Last year, two people were arrested for strangulation; two for sexual assault – including one case involving a girl under 13– and two for rape.

Seventy people were arrested in 2013 during Christmas Eve, in 2014 that rose to 82 and last year it was 109.

The number of women questioned or detained has remained the same so the increase is attributed to men.

In 2015 Medway saw the most arrests with 19, Maidstone followed closely behind with 18 while Thanet and Canterbury were joint third with 10.

Gravesham, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge and Malling had the lowest crime figures, with just two arrests per district and the latter two were low the previous two years as well. In each of the three years analysed more people were arrested for an assault on Christmas Eve than anything else. In 2015 having excess breath alcohol was second, with eight arrests across almost every district.

In 2014 Maidstone topped the crime charts, with 15, followed again by Canterbury and Dover joint third with Thanet.

Again, assault was the main reason for arrests and burglary the second highest offence.

In 2013 Gravesham, Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Canterbury were joint top and it was criminal damage which was the most heavily committed crime after assault.

Police point out that data does contain duplicate records, where a person may have been arrested for a number of offences.