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

The Met Police recorded 16,085 offences in Harrow in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 7% compared to the previous year, when there were 14,983.

However, at 63.7 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, 556 were sexual offences – an increase of 45% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 4,745 to 5,217 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 15%, from 1,233 incidents to 1,415.

And theft offences rose by 12%, with 6,655 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 26.4 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Harrow included:

556 sexual offences, a rise of 45%5,217 violent offences, a rise of 10%1,017 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 13%821 drug offences, down 30%78 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, a decrease of 351,126 public order offences, up 6%6,655 theft offences, a rise of 12%1,606 stalking and harassment offences, up 8%