VIOLENT crime has risen by ten per cent in Tendring in the past year.

Essex Police recorded 6,236 incidents of violent crime in the district in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That was an increase of 8 per cent compared to the previous year.

At 42.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 29.9.

One of the main factors behind the increase in Tendring was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 10 per cent, from 2,181 incidents to 2,396.

Offences of violence with injury meanwhile increased by 7 per cent to 1,544.

There were also four homicides, which include murders and manslaughters, up by three on the previous 12 months, and 2,292 cases of stalking or harassment, compared to 2,121 the previous year.

There are no official crime statistics yet published for the lockdown period, but police chiefs say their own figures reveal overall crime remains far below normal levels.

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 per cent 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."

The total number of offences in Tendring fell by 2 per cent, with police recording 14,362 crimes over the course of the year.

Yet, this puts the overall crime rate at 98.5 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 88.9.

Other crimes recorded in Tendring included:

  • 433 sexual offences, a rise of 2 per cent
  • 3,656 theft offences, down 10 per cent
  • 1,560 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 6 per cent
  • 456 drug offences, up 28 per cent
  • 145 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 1 per cent
  • 1,411 public order offences, up 9 per cent