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

The Met Police recorded 23,182 offences in Bromley in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 11% compared to the previous year, when there were 20,948.

However, at 69.7 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, 608 were sexual offences – an increase of 27% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 6,314 to 6,735 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 12%, from 2,298 incidents to 2,568.

And theft offences rose by 16%, with 9,975 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 30.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Bromley included:

608 sexual offences, a rise of 27%6,735 violent offences, a rise of 7%1,898 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 14%1,127 drug offences, down 12%162 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 8%1,875 public order offences, up 15%9,975 theft offences, a rise of 16%2,057 stalking and harassment offences, down slightly