CRIME has risen over the last year in Denbighshire, official police records reveal.

North Wales Police recorded 11,839 offences in Denbighshire in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 37 per cent compared to the previous year, when there were 8,660.

And, at 122.5 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, 522 were sexual offences – an increase of 60 per cent from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the area, from 4,393 to 5,785 over this period.

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One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 41 per cent, from 939 incidents to 1,322.

And theft offences rose by 37 per cent, with 2,000 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 20.7 crimes per 1,000 people, that was lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Denbighshire included:

  • 522 sexual offences, a rise of 60%
  • 5,785 violent offences, a rise of 32%
  • 1,120 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 32%
  • 268 drug offences, down 6%
  • 72 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, an increase of 25
  • 1,786 public order offences, up 69%
  • 2,000 theft offences, a rise of 37%
  • 2,187 stalking and harassment offences, up 35%