County crime rise is highest in the country
Divers raise £1,500 for RNLI
CRIME in Cheshire has risen higher than anywhere else in the country, new figures reveal.
Cheshire Police, which cover Macclesfield, recorded 71,342 crimes in the year July 2016 to June 2017 - 34 percent more than during the previous year.
Out of all 43 forces in England and Wales, only Greater Manchester (31pc) and Durham (32pc) recorded spikes that were close to that level.
The average rise of overall crime nationally is 14pc.
Police chiefs explain the rise on changes to the way it records violent crimes which went up by a 41 percent to 20,285.
They said anti-social behaviour offences are now recorded as a public order offences which are categorised as a violent crime.
Public order offences were up by 231 percent to 12,039 in the year to June.
However, there were also large spikes in stalking and harassment (184pc), violence without injury (36pc), robbery (16pc) and violence with injury (15pc).
Police believed the rise in reported sex offences (up 27pc) is because victims are more confident coming forward, especially in relation to historical crimes.
Overall theft offences were up by nine percent including bike theft (up 18pc), shoplifting (25pc) and vehicle thefts (six percent). There were also increases in criminal damage and possession of weapons which were both up by 15pc.
The only good news for Cheshire Police is overall burglary dropped by four pc but a breakdown of these figures reveals non-domestic burglary was down 19pc while house burglaries were up 18pc.
Other drops include drug offences, down 10 pc, and thefts from the person, 26pc.
Deputy Chief Constable Darren Martland said the increase was disappointing.
He said: “This rise does need to be put into context. Changes were introduced nationally to ensure consistency in how crimes are recorded.
“To meet the standards we have introduced dedicated staff to ensure crimes are recorded and categorised accurately. For example incidents of disorder in a public area may have been categorised previously as antisocial behaviour rather than as a crime, and this new way of recording is being reflected in our data – hence the increase.” THE town’s adventurous diving club will welcome a member of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for their next meeting.
The East Cheshire Sub Aqua Club has raised £1,500 for the RNLI over the past year.
And on Thursday, October 26, Maurice Littlewood, from the charity, will meet the diving club and share some stories about the service and how it works.
Kevin Phillips, from the club, said it will also be a chance to hand Maurice a cheque for £500, which will add to the £1,000 presented to the RNLI in Beaumaris earlier this year. Kevin said: “As you might imagine the RNLI are a key organisation for Scuba Divers and one which we heartily support.”
Maurice’s talk will begin at 8pm, with doors opening at 7.30pm. The talk is open to anyone who is interested. Go along to the East Cheshire Sub Aqua Club, at the top of Lower Bank Street in Macclesfield.