Crime on the rise in Arun, official figures show

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 Arun, official police records reveal.

Sussex Police recorded 10,701 offences in Arun in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 6% compared to the previous year, when there were 10,051.

However, at 66.4 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 386 were sexual offences – an increase of 9% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 3,690 to 4,122 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 19%, from 1,091 incidents to 1,301.

And theft offences rose by 8%, with 3,034 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 18.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Arun included:

386 sexual offences, a rise of 9%4,122 violent offences, a rise of 12%1,217 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 5%290 drug offences, down 32%121 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 19%1,232 public order offences, up 21%3,034 theft offences, a rise of 8%1,193 stalking and harassment offences, up 7%