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

The Met Police recorded 29,134 offences in Brent in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 5% compared to the previous year, when there were 27,841.

At 88.9 crimes per 1,000 people, that was in line with the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 720 were sexual offences – an increase of 20% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 8,916 to 9,235 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 8%, from 2,753 incidents to 2,977.

And theft offences rose by 11%, with 11,414 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 34.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Brent included:

720 sexual offences, a rise of 20%9,235 violent offences, a rise of 4%2,029 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up slightly1,974 drug offences, down 18%232 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 13%2,291 public order offences, up 9%11,414 theft offences, a rise of 11%2,259 stalking and harassment offences, down 3%