Lincolnshire is the 8th safest area in the country according to the Office for National Statistics figures released today for crime in England and Wales.

A national increase in crime of 7% has today (25 April) been announced by the Office for National Statistics.

Lincolnshire Police has seen a 20% increase in total recorded crime. These statistics relate to the 12-month period up to December 2018.

The force made changes to how it records crime last year following its Crime Data Integrity inspection. This means that the force now records more crime than it did previously*.

Locally, there has been an increase in violence, stalking and harassment and public order offences. The force has recorded a decrease in thefts, burglaries and vehicle offences.

Deputy Chief Constable for Lincolnshire Police, Craig Naylor says:

“Lincolnshire remains a very safe part of the country and by living here, you are unlikely to experience crime. However, this is no comfort whatsoever if you have been the victim of a serious offence.

“A change to the way police forces are recording crime explains some of the increases in offences but once again, we are seeing real rises in crimes such as violence.

“Policing is desperately calling out for additional funding to tackle these issues which are increasing nationally, and also other resource-intensive crimes such as modern slavery, child exploitation and cybercrime – all of which we see and investigate comprehensively in Lincolnshire.

“Locally, we are incredibly stretched and under-resourced and it is with great regret that we are currently going through reducing the number of staff, police officers and PCSO’s that we have available to meet the needs of communities in Lincolnshire.

“We will continue to deliver the very best service that we can to keep residents safe, prioritising people who need us most.”

The ONS figures published today, comparing Lincolnshire with the national picture, can be found here.