Crime on the rise in Sefton, official figures show

Crime has risen over the last year in Sefton, official police records reveal.
File photo dated 22/10/14 of a Police officer, as according to new figures, some of the UK's biggest police forces have recorded a rise in the number of violent homophobic crimes this year, with hundreds of assaults on gay and lesbian people reported to police so far in 2014 - including more than 300 in London alone. Scotland Yard recorded 1,073 violent homophobic offences between January and October, up from 1,007 in 2013 and 1,002 in 2012.File photo dated 22/10/14 of a Police officer, as according to new figures, some of the UK's biggest police forces have recorded a rise in the number of violent homophobic crimes this year, with hundreds of assaults on gay and lesbian people reported to police so far in 2014 - including more than 300 in London alone. Scotland Yard recorded 1,073 violent homophobic offences between January and October, up from 1,007 in 2013 and 1,002 in 2012.
File photo dated 22/10/14 of a Police officer, as according to new figures, some of the UK's biggest police forces have recorded a rise in the number of violent homophobic crimes this year, with hundreds of assaults on gay and lesbian people reported to police so far in 2014 - including more than 300 in London alone. Scotland Yard recorded 1,073 violent homophobic offences between January and October, up from 1,007 in 2013 and 1,002 in 2012.

Crime has risen over the last year in Sefton, official police records reveal.

Merseyside Police recorded 27,028 offences in Sefton in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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That was an increase of ​30%​ compared to the previous year, when there were 20,818.

And, at 98.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 758 were sexual offences – an increase of 49% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the area, from 8,638 to 11,564 over this period.

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One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 47%, from 3,409 incidents to 5,009.

And theft offences rose by 19%, with 5,580 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 20.2 crimes per 1,000 people, that was lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Sefton included:

758 sexual offences, a rise of 49%11,564 violent offences, a rise of 34%2,410 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 16%1,859 drug offences, up 2%207 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 30%3,907 public order offences, up 67%5,580 theft offences, a rise of 19%4,035 stalking and harassment offences, up 31%