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

The Met Police recorded 31,941 offences in Hackney in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 9% compared to the previous year, when there were 29,387.

And, at 113.7 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 913 were sexual offences – an increase of 39% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 7,670 to 8,323 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 12%, from 2,417 incidents to 2,704.

And theft offences rose by 13%, with 15,159 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 54.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Hackney included:

913 sexual offences, a rise of 39%8,323 violent offences, a rise of 9%1,715 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 1%1,491 drug offences, down 15%251 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 16%2,290 public order offences, up 5%15,159 theft offences, a rise of 13%2,154 stalking and harassment offences, up 2%