At least 1 in 10 Doncaster residents are victims of crime

Doncaster has one of the highest rates of burglary in England and Wales, according to the latest police recorded crime figures
Burglaries.Burglaries.
Burglaries.

There were 2,428 household break-ins in 2018, data from the Office for National Statistics shows.

This means that eight out of every 1,000 people in Doncaster reported a burglary, one of the highest rates in England and Wales. The statistics are based on crimes recorded by the police, and the ONS urges caution in interpreting some of these figures. Statisticians said burglary has reduced nationally.

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Alexa Bradley, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said: "When we look at the overall level of crime, there has been no significant change over the last year.

"However, it is important to look at each crime type. Robbery and vehicle offences have increased whereas burglary has decreased.

"Lower-volume, high-harm violence involving knives has risen, whereas offences involving firearms have decreased."

Overall, police recorded crime in Doncaster slightly increased in 2018.

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Over the period, 38,400 crimes were recorded, up 1% on 2017. That means there is a crime for at least one in every 10 residents in Doncaster, well above average for England and Wales.

Gun and knife possession offences in Doncaster rose by 54 to 353 incidents.

There has been one homicide, a murder or manslaughter.

There were four cases of death or injury by dangerous driving. Across England and Wales, the number of recorded homicides rose by 6%, to the highest level since 2008.

These figures excluded people who died in terror attacks. In Doncaster, theft, one of the most high-volume crimes, decreased by 7%. Drugs-related offences rose by 12%.

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Commenting on the national figures, Chief Constable Bill Skelly, of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Rising crime, increased terrorist activity and fewer police officers have put serious strain on the policing we offer to the public. "We are determining the additional capabilities and investment we need to drive down violence and catch more criminals - and we will make the case at the next Government Spending Review." Policing minister Nick Hurd said: "New statistics show that your chance of being a victim of crime remains low. Yet too many people are still falling victim to serious violence, which is why we will continue our urgent and unprecedented action to reverse this terrible trend. "We have given police forces additional powers and have this year put more than £1 billion extra into policing."

Criminal damage in Doncaster, which includes arson and vandalising cars and houses, has gone down, from 5,548 incidents in 2017, to 4,957 in the latest figures. While violence with injury, which includes assault,

GBH and wounding, has risen, this could be due to improved police recording. Similarly sexual offences are hard to judge as many more victims are now coming forward due to a series of high-profile cases. In Doncaster, there were 941 incidents recorded in 2018, a 3% decrease on the previous year, when 968 crimes were reported. There were also 4,070 cases of stalking and harassment reported over the same period.