Crime Stats – Latest Quarterly Figures

Wiltshire has seen a drop of 3 per cent in the number of overall recorded crimes in the county, according to crime statistics out on 25th April.  

Between January 2018 and December 2018, Wiltshire Police recorded 42,483 crimes overall – a decrease compared to the previous 12 months. 

Burglaries and vehicle crime dropped by 25 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, while thefts from a person dropped by 15 per cent and thefts, in general, went down by 10 per cent.

Angus Macpherson, Wiltshire and Swindon’s Police and Crime Commissioner, welcomed the latest figures and said they showed Wiltshire was continuing to ‘punch well above its weight’ for a small, rural force and was working hard to deliver the best service possible within the funding awarded.

He said, “Overall, Wiltshire is a safe county and I am pleased to see these latest figures really highlight the hard work that is being done by the Force to continually maintain this aspiration for our communities.

“We are a small, rural force that is striving to punch above its weight in delivering first-class policing and these figures show that we are continuing to deliver. Our improved recording practices, which Wiltshire Police has been focusing on 18 months ahead of most other forces, has helped with the accuracy of these figures. 

“It is heartening to see that burglary and vehicle crime have dropped considerably and this is a result of me challenging the Chief Constable and his team on the improvement on burglary and vehicle crime numbers. This type of scrutiny is essential to ensure Wiltshire Police continues to deliver for the communities it serves.”

Despite the overall drop, recorded robbery saw an increase of 79 incidents in 2018 compared to 2017 figures (that’s a 31 per cent increase), alongside a 25 per cent increase in stalking and harassment. 

The Police and Crime Commissioner added, “The increase in any crime, especially robbery, stalking and harassment, is concerning to me, however I am pleased to see the Force is robustly responding to the concerns that I, and the wider community, have about these crimes. As a county, the average number of robberies is low compared to other areas of the country and even small increases push the percentages up.  

“I remain committed to ensuring that victims will be heard and have the confidence to report crime to Wiltshire Police and receive support from their very first call – and throughout the criminal justice process – when they do.

“My pledge is to continue to fund a number of victim support services across the county to ensure that this continues to be the case.” 

Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden also welcomed the figures saying, “The reduction in the overall crime figures is really positive news; however we are not complacent and remain focused when it comes to tackling all crimes and offenders.

“It is concerning to see a rise in robbery as I know this is an offence that can increase the fear of crime to communities. As a small force with a large rural footprint, robbery offences are generally low. 

“This means that when there is a small increase in numbers of recorded crimes, the percentage increase can be high, as seen in the statistics.  It’s worth noting that these robbery figures returned to normal after just two spikes in February and June 2018. 

“We have robust methods of scrutiny and compliance to ensure we have accurate recording of crime, including robbery and we believe that this high level of recording accuracy has contributed to the figures for Wiltshire. 

“The introduction of the Community Tasking Teams has been a positive step in targeting priority offenders. They have had a significant impact in reducing burglaries and the same teams are applying a similar focus to robberies, which I believe will support a reduction over the next few months.”