Spike in violent crime damages city's safe reputation, says York MP

Figures released this week show an 18 per cent increase in violent crime in the city, from 2,130 in 2014/15 to 2,513 in 2015/16.

The overall crime rate for York also rose by 11 per cent over the period, the Safer York Partnership revealed in its bi-annual report, which is due to be discussed by councillors next week.

Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, said she was “seriously disturbed” by the spike and has written to Policing Minister Mike Penning, North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, and North Yorkshire Police’s acting chief constable Tim Madgewick asking them to explain why crime is rising so steeply in the city. She has also called on Mr Penning to ensure that further proposals to cut police funding will not bring about increases in the numbers of crimes committed in York.

Ms Maskell said: “When Labour challenged over the proposed cuts to the policing funding formula last year the Government did backtrack, but are to review this. Any future plans put forward by the government to cut funding could seriously impact on the availability and efficiency of the police and must be reconsidered. I want to have a real understanding as to who are the perpetrators of crime in York and why we have seen this sharp increase. Likewise it is important to understand if there are any trends in who is being targeted and are victims of these crimes.

“Behind every statistic there is a victim and a human cost and I am not prepared to see lives destroyed because of a lack of funding. The Government must ensure the police are properly funded so that there are enough police around to keep people in York safe.”

Safer York Partnership’s figures also reveal that the number of recorded hate crimes in the city have increased, from 108 in 2014/15 to 141 in 2014/16. Significant increases were also seen in criminal damage and bicycle thefts.

Violent crime covers a wide range of offences, from minor assaults such as pushing and shoving to serious incidents involving grievous bodily harm, wounding, and murder.

A report to York Council’s communities and environment committee, who will discuss the figures on Monday, said the increase was largely attributable to the range of incidents that fall within the Home Office recording category of violent crime.

It said the majority of violent crimes in the city “fall within the lower levels of severity and do not indicate an increase in serious violence within the city”.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics earlier this year showed that violent crime across the country rose 27 per cent in the year to September.

North Yorkshire Police’s commander for York, Superintendent Adam Thomson, said York remains one of England’s safest cities despite fluctuations in some types of crime.

He added: “We’ve been very proactive about tackling violent crime and anti-social behaviour in York and encouraging victims to come forward. In the last 12 months we’re run a number of operations such as Operation Erase and Operation Safari, which centre around the city’s night time economy and focus on supporting victims and catching perpetrators.”=