Rise in violent crime and stalking in Bedford

Violent crime has risen in Bedford over the last year, amid an increase in recorded crime across England and Wales.

But with no official crime statistics yet published for the coronavirus lockdown period, police chiefs say their own figures show overall crime remains far below normal levels.

Bedfordshire Police recorded 4,680 incidents of violent crime in Bedford in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 4 per cent compared to the previous year.

At 27.3 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 29.9.

One of the main factors behind the increase in Bedford was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 15 per cent, from 1,871 incidents to 2,143.

There were also 1,256 cases of stalking or harassment, up by 10 per cent on the previous year.

However, the ONS said stalking and harassment figures may have been affected by improvements in the way police record crime, which could explain the large increase.

The ONS said crime figures were largely unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic, as the period covered was mostly pre-lockdown.

However, the National Police Chiefs' Council says its own provisional figures, which cover the four weeks to July 5, show crime has fallen by 14% compared to the same period last year.

NPCC lead for crime, Chief Constable Andy Cooke, said: “The vast majority of the public continue to follow the rules in place to limit the spread of the virus, and as a result, we have seen sustained reductions in crime over the course of the lockdown period.

"It is no surprise that as more people are able to move around freely, we will begin to see movement towards previous levels. However, this is a gradual change."

Other crimes recorded in Bedford included:

433 sexual offences, a decrease of 13 per cent

5,949 theft offences, down 13 per cent

1,533 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 1 per cent

483 drug offences, up 14 per cent

84 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 22 per cent

1,368 public order offences, up 18 per cent