POLICE officers in Barnsley are being called to nearly 100 incidents every day as offences have risen by more than ten per cent in the last year.
South Yorkshire Police recorded 26,386 offences in the town last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It’s the equivalent to around 73 incidents every day and a 13 per cent increase compared to the previous year, when there were 23,389.
The rate of crime per 1,000 people was 106.4 - far higher than the rate across England Wales which stood at 91.3.
Of the crimes recorded in Barnsley over the last 12 months, 722 were sexual offences - an increase of 9 per cent from the year before.
Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 9,175 to 10,431 over this period.
One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 20 per cent, from 2,380 incidents to 2,859.
A victim support group has said ‘women deserve better’ following the sharp rise in those crimes.
Diana Fawcett, chief executive of the charity Victim Support, said: “This huge increase in sexual violence, in particular rape, reported to the police is seriously alarming and a stark reminder that the government needs to get a grip on staggeringly low conviction rates and horrendous court delays.”
Nationally, domestic abuse related offences totalled 912,181 in the year to June, up six per cent on the previous 12 months and up 14 per cent in 2019-20.
Some of this increase ‘may reflect improvements seen in recording and reporting over the last few years’, the ONS revealed.
Theft offences in Barnsley rose by 22 per cent, with 6,734 incidents recorded in the 12 months to June.
At 27.1 crimes per 1,000 people, that was in line with the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 26.5.
The Home Office said it was glad to see an increase in the number of charges for sexual offences, but was concerned by the rising number of offences.
A spokesperson said: “Some of the increase in reporting can be attributed to more victims coming forward, and we welcome that, as these crimes can all too often be hidden.
“We need the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to do more and raise the bar, so that victims know they will be taken seriously and the criminals responsible are put behind bars.”
