Rise in violent crime in the Chichester district

Sussex Police recorded 2,408 incidents of violent crime in the district in the 12 months to September, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 10 per cent compared to the previous year.

At 19.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 32.3.

One of the main factors behind the increase in the Chichester district was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by 31 per cent, from 549 incidents to 720.

Offences of violence without injury were recorded 938 times, an increase of 14 per cent on the previous year, and violence with injury on 748 occasions, down by eight per cent.

Around 5.8 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in the year to September – a two per cent rise compared to the previous year – though there was a one per cent drop to 4.9 million offences when excluding cases of fraud and computer misuse.

The total number of offences in Chichester increased by five per cent, with police recording 7,209 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 59.3 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 82.4.

Other crimes recorded in the Chichester district included:

289 sexual offences, a rise of 16 per cent

2,283 theft offences, down 10 per cent

836 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up eight per cent

275 drug offences, up 56 per cent

62 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 24

795 public order offences, up 23 per cent