South Yorkshire Police boss explains why drug offences rose during lockdown while crime fell overall

Office for National Statistics figures show that while crime fell overall nationally, drug offences, murders and violence increased over the nationwide lockdown period, with drug crimes up by a third between April and June 2020 compared to the year before.

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The number of crimes recorded in England and Wales fell by four per cent to around 5.8 million in the year to June.

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Billy Gazard, from the ONS centre for crime and justice, said the reduction was ‘mainly driven by changes in society after coronavirus lockdown restrictions were put in place’.

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He said increases in drug offences during lockdown reflected proactive policing while officers had fewer crimes than normal to deal with.

South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, said: “In South Yorkshire we saw a 31 per cent decrease in residential burglary and a 41 per cent decrease in theft which reflects the fact that we were all at home – including criminals.

“On the other hand, drug related recorded crime went up in South Yorkshire by 23 per cent. This statistic should not be viewed with concern as it reflects a great deal of activity on the part of South Yorkshire Police bringing drug offenders to justice. There has been a considerable focus on drug offending and those who blight communities by bringing drugs onto the streets.

“I am also pleased to see a decrease in recorded knife crime in South Yorkshire, though after lockdown these are offences that will need continuing attention by the force.

“An area of concern to me and the police is the decrease in reports of sexual assault. Whilst some of this will be down to being in lockdown, for some people their homes were the least safe places to be. We have, however, managed to support many who risked being trapped in abusive relationships during that time.

“These strange times that both we and the police find ourselves in look set to continue for the foreseeable future. We are now in Tier 3 and officers have to police the new restrictions as well as carry out their normal duties.”

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