Crime on the rise in Hammersmith and Fulham, 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 Hammersmith and Fulham, official police records reveal.

The Met Police recorded 21,233 offences in Hammersmith and Fulham in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 17% compared to the previous year, when there were 18,095.

And, at 115.7 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, 565 were sexual offences – an increase of 28% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 4,896 to 5,631 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 17%, from 2,014 incidents to 2,356.

And theft offences rose by 28%, with 10,359 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 56.4 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Hammersmith and Fulham included:

565 sexual offences, a rise of 28%5,631 violent offences, a rise of 15%1,269 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 16%920 drug offences, down 28%119 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 1%1,700 public order offences, up 14%10,359 theft offences, a rise of 28%1,486 stalking and harassment offences, up 10%