Robberies soared by third in 2017 ‘Historic’ cases also mean 28% rise in sex offences, reveal police statistics
CRIME has soared in Birmingham and the West Midlands, with robbery and sex attacks showing the biggest increases.
Sexual offences rose by a massive 28 per cent last year with a total of 6,125 reported in 2017, while robberies increased by 30 per cent.
West Midlands Police also recorded a nine per cent increase in violent crimes “that caused injury” and a 19 per cent rise in “violence without injury”.
Thefts rose by 15 per cent in 2017, with a 16 per cent burglary also reported.
The total number of recorded crimes increased by 14 per cent in just a year, from 200,512 offences in 2016 to 227,865 in 2017.
The figures were obtained from the Office for National Statistics.
West Midlands Police said the total recorded crime rise of 14 per cent was “in line with the national picture”.
Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said: “The Office of National Statistics continues to attribute this to improved crime recording and a greater confidence in people coming forward to report offences.
“This is particularly relevant when it comes to the increase in rise in reported sex offences and cially historic offences.
“Investigating non-recent sex offences makes up a significant percentage of our sex offence cases and we have a dedicated team working purely on these investigations, supporting survivors and securing justice in cases where offences have been committed many years or even decades ago.
“More broadly, we are working with partners to understand what’s behind the rise in crime and address the root causes. In the West Midlands, we have invested in local policing to work with communities and effectively address what concerns them the most. espe-
“We understand people’s concerns around violent crime and the effect it can have on communities. While it makes up a very small proportion of overall crime, we appreciate the disproportionate impact it has on people’s quality of life and feelings of safety.”
She added: “Our Gangs and Organised Crime Unit has had great success in recent months with ten men affiliated to gangs being jailed collectively for more than 70 years – and we run regular proactive policing operations in key areas to leave gang members in no doubt we’re determined to disrupt their activity and make arrests.”