Yorkshire crime rate shame as faith in police low

Burglary rates are on a par with the capital’s and are higher than anywhere else in the country despite a five per cent drop.

Overall, the number of crimes recorded by police across Yorkshire fell by four per cent in 2011/12 compared with the previous year – in line with the national average.

Nationally, the number of recorded crimes fell to below four million for the first time in more than 20 years, according to figures published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The ONS said key security measures, such as window locks, deadlocks, and alarms and vehicle immobilisers, had helped to drive down the fall in crimes such as thefts from vehicles and burglaries but there was a two per cent increase in so-called “other theft offences” recorded, including opportunistic thefts of metal, mobile phones and bags left unattended in pubs and bars.

In Yorkshire, 75 crimes were recorded per 1,000 people in the past year, a rate second only to London’s 105 and above the national average of 72.

West Yorkshire’s crime rate was the highest, at 82 per 1,000 people, while North Yorkshire’s was the lowest in England at 48.

Across the region, drugs offences rose by two per cent with theft up by six per cent. Violent crime dropped by 10 per cent, sex offences fell by five per cent and robberies went down by seven per cent.

The third highest number of knife crimes outside London was recorded in West Yorkshire, which also had the highest rate of burglaries at 15 per 1,000 people. South Yorkshire’s rate was second-highest at 13 and Humberside’s was joint third at 12, while North Yorkshire had among the lowest in the country at six.

Separate figures from the Crime Survey of England and Wales showed there were 142 domestic burglaries per 10,000 households in Yorkshire – nearly 40 per cent more than the national average.

However, the overall number of raids on homes fell by eight per cent, with drops of 10 per cent in North Yorkshire, eight per cent in West Yorkshire and six per cent in Humberside. In South Yorkshire, the number rose by six per cent.

The survey also revealed people in Yorkshire have the least faith in the criminal justice system, with only 38 per cent of respondents reporting feeling confident about its effectiveness against a national average of 44 per cent.

Across the region, 58 per cent of people agreed police deal with local concerns, the joint-lowest figure alongside the West Midlands.

The same proportion in Yorkshire said police did an excellent or good job, but only 52 per cent in Humberside agreed – the country’s lowest percentage and well below the national average of 62 per cent.

Police chiefs welcomed the overall fall in crime rates amid budget cuts and reduced officer numbers.

Deputy Chief Constable Bob Dyson of South Yorkshire Police, which recorded the region’s biggest drop of nine per cent, said the overall number of crimes was down to five figures for the first time in more than 20 years.

“Our challenge, in the face of continued budget cuts, is to maintain our six-year trend of reducing the number of victims,” he said.

West Yorkshire Police Deputy Chief Constable John Parkinson said an ongoing crackdown on house burglaries in Leeds slashed their number to its lowest in over a decade last year and the rate across the force had reduced by more than 35 per cent in the first three months of this year.

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