More crime recorded in South Tyne

Northumbria Police recorded 13,831 offences in South Tyneside in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – an increase of 11% on the previous year, when there were 12,491.

At 91.5 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Of the crimes recorded in the area over the 12 months, 438 were sexual offences – an increase of three per cent on the year before – and violent crime has also risen in the area, from 5,068 to 5,663.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury – which rose by 31%, from 1,283 to 1,686.

And theft offences rose by 17%, with 3,213 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

Crimes recorded in South Tyneside included:

*438 sexual offences – up three per cent.

*5,663 violent offences – up 12%.

*1,739 incidents of criminal damage and arson - up 25%.

*297 drug offences – down 27%.

*129 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives – down two per cent

*1,866 public order offences – up three pet cent.

*3,213 thefts – up 17%.

*2,136 stalking and harassment offences – up two per cent.

Nationally, police forces in England and Wales recorded the highest number of crimes in 20 years – 6.3 million in the year to March 2022 - four per cent higher than the previous all-time high of 6.1 million in 2019/20.