Crime on the rise in Barnet, 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 Barnet, official police records reveal.

The Met Police recorded 27,597 offences in Barnet 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 26,073.

However, at 69.2 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, 773 were sexual offences – an increase of 39% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 7,394 to 7,885 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 14%, from 2,747 incidents to 3,118.

And theft offences rose by 5%, with 12,697 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 31.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Barnet included:

773 sexual offences, a rise of 39%7,885 violent offences, a rise of 7%1,852 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 3%1,082 drug offences, down 12%151 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 1%2,114 public order offences, up 14%12,697 theft offences, a rise of 5%2,519 stalking and harassment offences, up 2%