Devon and Cornwall have recorded the second-lowest reported crime rate in England and Wales, according to new figures released today, 3rd February.

Total crime dropped by 8.7 per cent last year compared to a national average decrease of 6.6 per cent, the latest figures by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show.

Victim-based crime also fell by 10.2 per cent over the same period, compared to a national average fall of 8.8 per cent – also the second-lowest crime rate out of 42 forces.

Yesterday, Helston residents got to see December's crime figures for the area.

The Force also saw double-digit decreases in most crime types across the whole of last year, according to the latest data.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer welcomed the news and pledged to keep working to reduce crime even further, he said:

"To see Devon and Cornwall ranked the second safest place in the country is great news for our communities.

"It is also a testament to the hard work of all our officers, staff and volunteers in keeping our communities safe in this challenging year.

"While crime figures are only one area of performance we measure, my hope is our communities will feel reassured that we are working with them and partners to reduce crime and the fear of crime."

Which crimes increased? [.H2]

Violence without injury offences were up slightly (0.1%), Stalking and Harassment offences were up 6.1 per cent due to increased identification and recording of such offences.

Possession of weapons were up by 13.5 per cent, due to a recent change to the recording of offences of importing weapons.

Since July 2020, Border Force seizures of intercepted packages destined for a Devon or Cornwall address have been recorded by the Force – 130 in last year compared to just eight in 2019.

Drug offences were up 14.4 per cent, following proactive policing, including around so-called county lines operations used by drug gangs.

[H3] Carry on the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages. [.B]