Rise in violent crime in Barking and Dagenham

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.

Violent crime has risen in Barking and Dagenham over the last year, despite overall levels of crime holding steady.

The Met Police recorded 6,674 incidents of violent crime in Barking and Dagenham in the 12 months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 6% compared to the previous year.

At 31.2 crimes per 1,000 people, that was in line with the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 31.6.

One of the main factors behind the increase in Barking and Dagenham was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by 27%, from 1,683 incidents to 2,136.

Offences of violence without injury were recorded 2,624 times, an increase of 5% on the previous year, and violence with injury on 1,912 occasions, down by 9%.

There were two homicides, which include murders and manslaughters, up by one on the previous 12 months.

Around 5.8 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in the year to June – in line with the previous year – though there was a 3% decrease to 4.9 million offences when excluding fraud and computer misuse.

Nick Stripe, head of crime statistics at the ONS, said the figures showed overall reductions in the reporting and recording of many crime types during periods of lockdown.

However, reports of fraud and hacking continued to rise – something the ONS previously suggested was due to criminals taking advantage of behavioural changes during the pandemic, while many took to online shopping amid lockdowns when there were restrictions on movement.

The total number of offences in Barking and Dagenham stayed level, with police recording 19,253 crimes over the course of the year.

This puts the overall crime rate at 89.9 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 81.3.

Other crimes recorded in Barking and Dagenham included:

663 sexual offences, a rise of 7%6,552 theft offences, down 9%1,380 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 4%1,529 drug offences, up 5%174 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 7%1,301 public order offences, up 16%

The ONS figures show 61,158 rapes were recorded across England and Wales in the 12 months to June – the highest recorded annual figure to date, and up by 10% from 55,779 the year before.

The second-highest number of sexual offences was also recorded over the period (164,763) – an 8% increase on the previous year.

The ONS urged caution when interpreting the data.

Mr Stripe added: “The rise could be due to an increase in victim reporting as lockdowns eased, an increase in the number of victims, or to an increase in victims’ willingness to report incidents, potentially as a result of high-profile cases and campaigns in recent times.”

Jeffrey DeMarco, assistant director at the charity Victim Support, said: “Much more needs to be done urgently to tackle both these offences and to ensure that those who come forward and report them are able to access justice.”