Crime has fallen over the 12 months to June in Eden, official police records reveal.
Changes in society while coronavirus restrictions were in place led to most types of crime plummeting nationally over the period–although drug offences rose by nearly a third during lockdown–the Office for National Statistics said.
Cumbria Constabulary recorded 2,573 offences in Eden in the 12 months to June – the latest figures available – according to the ONS.
That was a decrease of 10 per cent compared to the 12 months, when there were 2,870.
At 48 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 85.
Crimes recorded in Eden included:
- 97 sexual offences, a decrease of 30 per cent
- 973 violent offences, up one per cent
- 338 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 15 per cent
- 102 drug offences, up 31 per cent
- 13 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 24 per cent
- 260 public order offences, up 35 per cent
- 739 theft offences, down 27 per cent
Overall, police recorded four per cent fewer crimes across England and Wales, with around 5.8 million offences recorded in the year to June.
This excludes those recorded by Greater Manchester Police, whose data was compromised after the installation of new IT software.
The fall was driven by a reduction in crime between April and June when national lockdown restrictions were in place.
Robberies saw the most noticeable drop during this period (47 per cent), while theft offences fell by 43 per cent.
Drug crimes rose by 30 per cent over the three months, with offences rising from44,064 in April to June 2019, to 57,132this year.
Billy Gazard, from the ONS centre for crime and justice, said the drop in crime over the year could mainly be put down to changes during the coronavirus lockdown, but said police recording of drug offences “increased sharply throughout the April to June period, reflecting proactive police activity as overall crime levels reduced”.
“There are indications that crime levels in June were moving back towards pre-lockdown levels,” he added.
John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “Although crime fell during the pandemic the pressure on the police remained.
“Policing had to adapt to a situation unlike anything we had experienced before and continues to do so even as the national lockdown was lifted and crime returned to pre-lockdown levels.
“That pressure has increased with local lockdowns being rolled out and because of the additional challenges they bring to policing.”
