SWINDON and Wiltshire has seen an 18.8 percent increase in recorded crime, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

The figures show a 153 percent increase in recorded public order offences and a 72.5 per cent increase in recorded violence without injury, which accounts for 3,929 additional offences or two thirds of the total increase in recorded crime.

Recorded sexual offences have risen by 14.9 per cent.

But the Police and Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson and Wiltshire Police have stressed the increase in the crime figures is due to better recording practices rather than an actual increase in crime.

“It is important to stress that these figures do not mean that crime in our area is up almost 19 per cent," said Mr Macpherson.

“What we know is that calls from the public for the services of Wiltshire Police have stayed stable and, in some categories, have gone down.

“What has changed, as we have been stressing over the past month in our #DidYouKnow campaign, is that the force is now recording offences far more accurately than in the past.

“We are talking about offences which were, for example, recorded as anti-social behaviour which are now being more accurately recorded as, say, violence without injury.

“However, I am concerned at the increase in sexual offences, some of which will include offences against children.

“I am going to discuss this area with the chief constable because crimes like these have such a serious impact on victims. I think I need to allocate more resources to tackling such crimes in my next Police and Crime Plan.”

Mr Macpherson said the figures are where incidents that may once have been recorded as anti-social behaviour are being more accurately categorised as crimes such as public order offences or violence without injury.

Across the country, 39 of the 43 forces have seen increases in recorded crime and the figures for Wiltshire Police are largely in line with national trends and other forces in the region.

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Mike Veale said: “We have made significant steps to improve our crime recording practices.

“Through training, reviews, audits and regular assessment we are now seeing the anticipated increase following these improvements in recording.

“While the number of recorded crimes has increased, this does not necessarily mean that the actual number of crimes committed has risen.”

And he added: “We have seen an increase in the number of sexual offences we record, which comes as a result of not just better recording practice but also increased confidence by victims in reporting offences.

“High profile cases and numerous public inquiries seem to have made people more aware and more empowered in coming forward with allegations when it comes to sexual offences over the last year or so.

“The changes in the numbers of recorded crimes do not make Wiltshire and Swindon area any less of a safe place to live.

“Our efforts to provide an effective and efficient police service, which meets the operational requirements to deliver the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan, rely upon integrity and accuracy in crime data.

“Ultimately, it is important that we record crime as accurately as possible so we know we can deploy resources to the right places at the right time to deliver the service that the public deserves and expects.”