South Yorkshire Police crime statistics: Burglary, robbery and theft down but drug offences rise

The latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that the total number of crimes recorded in the region decreased by two per cent in the year ending September 2021, compared to the previous 12 months.

The number of firearm offences fell by 18 percent, knife crimes by 15 percent, theft by 13 percent, residential burglary by 12 and robbery by eight percent.

South Yorkshire also saw a slight decrease in sexual offences, in contrast to Yorkshire and the Humber as a whole and England and Wales, where overall numbers increased.

But the number of drug offences recorded was up by 17 per cent, following what police described as target action to crack down on offenders.

Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “In an ever-changing world it is encouraging to see reductions in violent crime, particularly those involving

weapons.

“Whilst such an increase in drug offences seems alarming, South Yorkshire Police has put huge resource into targeted activity in gang crime and drugs supply, which will hopefully

lead to more convictions.

“I do note, however, that there was an increase in stalking and harassment. This may mean that victims are more willing to report but we will continue to monitor it closely.

“These statistics show that the commitment and dedication shown by our force is making an impact, and I thank them for their ongoing work across the county.”

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Poolman stressed that the period the ONS report covers was still impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which should be taken into consideration when looking at the falling numbers of burglaries, thefts and robberies.

She said: “Burglary, theft and robbery are incredibly harmful to individuals and businesses alike and we have dedicated teams in place to ensure the right level of focus is given to

tackling these offences.”

She agreed with Mr Billings that an increase in reported drug offences should be regarded positively.

She said: “Drugs are intrinsically linked to serious and violent crime and I am hopeful we will continue to see a positive knock-on effect in these areas from our unrelenting efforts to

tackle drugs supply.”