Violent crime and driving offences among big decreases for Staffordshire Police in new statistics, but work still to do on shoplifting and burglary
New figures have shown a substantial decrease in the number of crimes being committed across Staffordshire, but the region's police force has also acknowledged the work still to do.
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The new data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that total crime reported across Staffordshire was found to have reduced by 4.5 per cent with nearly 4,000 fewer victims in the last year.
The data from the ONS covers the period year ending October 2023 to September 2024 and showed big decreases in a number of high profile crimes, with the number of Violent crime offences falling by nine per cent, a reduction of 3,792 crimes and theft from the person crimes dropping by 27 per cent, a reduction of 110 crimes.
Other headline drops in crimes include 500 fewer vehicle crime offences, a nine per cent reduction, with 312 people arrested on suspicion of driving offences, 681 vehicles and £2.3 million in criminal assets seized since the road crime team was launched in October.
Deputy Chief Constable Jon Roy said: “Overall crime in Staffordshire continued to fall in the 12 months to the end of September 2024.
There were just over 4,000 fewer (-4.5 per cent) crimes across the county.
This reflects the hard work, dedication and commitment of our officers, staff and volunteers to delivering an even better service for our communities.
“This was recognised by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in our latest PEEL report which showed significant improvements across the board, making us one of the most improved forces in the country.
“The Office of National Statistics published crime statistics for each police force in England and Wales today (Thursday 30 January).
“There have been notable decreases in violence against the person crimes, which have reduced again this quarter - down a further nine per cent (-3,792 crimes) and theft from the person crimes by 27 per cent (-110 crimes).
“There were just more than 500 fewer vehicle crime offences, a nine per cent reduction.
"Since our road crime team launched on October 1 last year, officers have arrested over 312 people suspected of driving offences and seized 681 vehicles and criminal assets worth in excess of £2.3 million.
“These decreases are as a result of the proactivity of our officers to tackle the issues that matter most to local communities.
“We also continue to be more proactive in our response with arrests which are up by 13 per cent and stop and searches by 17 per cent in the last 12 months."
Significant increases in shoplifting offences in Staffordshire.
While there have been good news statistics presented in the data, some areas are still showing increases, with retail trade union Usdaw saying it was deeply concerned by statistics showing that there were significant increases in shoplifting across the Staffordshire Police constabulary areas.
The statistics showed an increase of 23 per cent in the West Midlands. Here's the full breakdown of figures for the region:
Staffordshire +24%
Warwickshire +31%
West Mercia 0%
West Midlands +32%
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary says: “The scale of the epidemic of retail crime is laid bare in these shocking police recorded crime statistics and the BRC report.
"Crime has a very direct impact on the viability of stores, as retailers go to increasing lengths and expense to make them secure and safe.
"Communities are blighted by anti-social behaviour and store closures. Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence.
“It is increasingly common for retail stores to be targeted by organised crime gangs stealing to order.
"This is in no way a victimless crime, with weapons and violence used to ensure these criminals are not stopped.
"Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers.
"Usdaw’s survey of over 4,000 retail workers found that 70 per cent had suffered incidents of violence, threats and abuse that were triggered by theft and armed robbery. So this increase in shoplifting is hugely concerning."
Deputy Chief Constable Roy spoke about the increased number of shoplifting offences and said the force was working to tackle the issue and address the root causes.
He said: “There were an additional 1,369 shoplifting crimes, which is an increase of 24 per cent. We have a proactive approach to tackling retail crime by focusing on repeat offenders and locations and addressing the root causes rather than just the symptoms.
"Our officers work closely with retailers to develop crime prevention strategies but they also focus on response once incidents occur and subsequent enforcement.
“We saw just under 350 additional home burglaries, which includes burglaries of garages and sheds and attempted burglaries (+12 per cent).
"Twenty-two per cent were garage/shed burglaries. The biggest increase is attempted burglaries, particularly those caught of smart doorbells, which highlights how this technology is both exposing and deterring crime.
"We are prioritising attending burglaries and building strong lines of enquiry, which is leading to arrests and convictions.
"The last four months have seen the number of home burglaries reduce below average levels, and we are now seeing a decrease in our latest data.
“In November, we introduced Enhanced Video Response, a new way to respond to domestic abuse reports that takes more of a trauma-informed approach, resulting in better engagement from the victims and any required safeguarding in place earlier.
"The new initiative uses secure video technology to enable officers to speak and see domestic abuse victims more swiftly.
"Early indications show the technique is working effectively with a 100 per cent victim satisfaction rate.”
