Reported Crime Falls During Lockdown in North Yorkshire

Police figures show a 23% fall in reported crime when the county went in to full lockdown in March.

The effect of the COVID pandemic on crime will be highlighted today with the release of the quarterly crime report from the Office of National Statistics.

North Yorkshire Police’s own crime reporting shows a level of consistency in crimes recorded year on year with a number of notable changes through the months of March to June 2020. 

Burglary, theft, vehicle crime and criminal damage showed a marked decrease which can be attributed to the national lockdown imposed on 23 March. Whilst violent crime showed a minor increase year on year thought to be a result of a change in reporting – this also experienced a decrease through the months of April and May, another change likely to be as a result of the lockdown. 

In line with this, the number of sexual crimes recorded have decreased but reporting rates have not fallen at the same pace which positively indicates that victims still have the confidence to come forward and report incidents.

Figures below are based on the committed date of each crime and show the changes between an average of April – June 2018 plus April – June 2019 compared against April – June 2020.

• All crime 23% decrease
• Burglary 45% decrease
• Theft 50% decrease
• Vehicle crime 38% decrease
• Criminal damage and arson 34% decrease
• Violent crime 17% decrease
• Sexual crime 50% decrease

Additional statistics:

• Levels of reported domestic abuse have continued to rise year on year 26% increase 2018-2019 and 3% increase 2019 – 2020
• Incidents of fraud reported to North Yorkshire Police have risen 700% since January 2019 due to victims being encouraged to report directly to the police, rather than Action Fraud, in order that safeguarding can be put in place.

Levels of reported domestic abuse have continued to rise year on year, an increase which can partly be attributed to the requirement to record multiple crimes where stalking and/or harassment has occurred, rather than simply one crime per incident. Partner agencies, charities and other organisations which support domestic abuse victims have reported a rise in demand for their services over the last few months and Detective Superintendent, Allan Harder, explains more:

“Whilst we were hearing of this increased demand from our partners and in the national media, the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to North Yorkshire Police has remained level. Although victims have been seeking additional support, this is not associated with a significant rise in reported incidents.

“That said there was clearly a need for information and advice to be shared as widely as possible so along with our partners we have been working hard to address this. As well as signposting victims to the wealth of support available, we have created videos discussing a range of topics and continue to send a strong message that the police are very much still here to help and do whatever we can to safeguard anyone experiencing domestic abuse.”

Incidents of fraud recorded have continued to rise over the last three years, an increase which can be attributed to both changes in the way it is reported and work to address the fact it is one of the most underreported crimes. Head of North Yorkshire Police Economic Crime Unit, Detective Inspector Jon Hodgeon explains:

“Victims often do not report fraud as they may feel embarrassed to have been scammed or may think there’s no chance of getting back money they have lost but even if there are no lines of enquiry, we want to help ensure that individual does not become a victim again. To be able to provide victims support and prevention advice, we encourage victims to report fraud directly to North Yorkshire Police, rather than Action Fraud, so we can provide this support and prevention advice.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has put a stop to our regular face-to-face fraud prevention presentations and workshops so we’ve had to find new ways to reach people with prevention messages, including regular Facebook Live sessions and other virtual events which have been very well-received. We’ve also seen a number of new scams emerge with the pandemic providing the perfect cover for many fraudsters and old scams coming back into the fore so we’ve worked hard to keep North Yorkshire residents as up to date as possible.”

North Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable, Mark Pannone, said:

“It is clear to see the impact of Covid-19 and the national lockdown on these latest figures and whilst this has meant some reduction in crime, we must not be complacent. We know the need for community support and helping individuals to feel safe is more important than ever before.

“We have moved some of our prevention and safeguarding support to online channels and I can reassure North Yorkshire residents that we are still very much here for you. We know this is a really difficult time for our communities and we are adapting to the challenges presented by the pandemic to continue providing the best possible service.”