Reported crime increases in Devon

The rise is higher than the national average

Reported crimes in Devon and Cornwall rose by 17% in the year to June 2018. Nationally, the figure is just 10%. 

The force points out it has the 6th lowest crime rate in the country.

Deputy Chief Constable David Lewis said: “The increase in reported crime across Devon and Cornwall mirrors national trends and is, in part, down to improvements in how we record crime which has had a positive impact on these figures, showing that the public have greater confidence in reporting crime to us.

“According to the Crime Survey in England and Wales, the perceived risk of becoming a victim of crime (both household and personal) remains low, with Devon and Cornwall being the third lowest in the country for household crime during this period.

 “Crime figures only represent a small part of what we, as a Force, actually do; around 80 per cent of our business is non-crime related.

“Victims remain at the heart of everything we do. We put the safeguarding and the wishes of victims at the heart of our investigations and, where we can, bring offenders to justice.

“It is also important to note that in a survey of victim satisfaction, 76 per cent of priority victims (for example, victims of serious crime) and 86 per cent of domestic abuse victims were satisfied with the service we provide. We have worked hard to improve our response to a number of key crime areas such as rape, sexual offences, modern slavery and domestic abuse.

“In recent years, we have seen a rise in both current and historic reporting in these key areas, and I am encouraged that victims are finding the courage to come forward and reach out to us knowing that that they will be supported. We have also actively changed recording practices, which are positively impacting upon these figures. Our improved practices as reflected in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) report, which graded us as ‘good’ for our crime recording, has resulted in a continued increase in our recorded levels of crime.

“No victim should suffer in silence or feel that they are alone. Devon & Cornwall Police will continue to work hard to support victims and to give a voice to each and every one of them, regardless of whether or not this sees a rise in our crime figures.

“I am confident that my staff and officers are working hard to protect and serve the public of Devon and Cornwall, and that this part of the country continues to remain a safe place to live, work and visit, and that the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime is still very low.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: "It’s clear to me that more money is needed to support greater officer numbers. My office is actively lobbying central government for fairer funding for a force which sees its population swell by millions of visitors in the summer months but is funded only for its settled population.

Residents of Devon and Cornwall are certainly doing their bit to invest in policing. Engagement work carried out by my office earlier this year showed us they were prepared to pay more if they got more police officers, so I, like most other Police and Crime Commissioners, took the decision to raise our precept by £12. This money has been used to continue to enable us to buck the national trend of recruiting and training more officers as we have been doing since I arrived in office, as well as to invest in technology like body-worn video.

We’re also coming up with innovative solutions to rural areas where tri-service officers have been recruited across Cornwall and Community Responders – on-call firefighters trained as police special constables– will take up posts in Devon early next year.”