Violent crime soars in Gloucestershire

Crime rates are up 10.5% in Gloucestershire

Violent crime in Gloucestershire has increased dramatically over the past year, new police statistics reveal.

The county saw the number of recorded crimes rise by 10.5% according to Home Office figures released on Thursday.

But the numbers for violent crime have soared by 58.7%.

Senior officers from Gloucestershire Police blame the rise on a new system of recording crime figures, the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS).

Policing committments

And they say the massive police operation around RAF Fairford in the run up to and during the war in Iraq had an impact on policing committments across the county.

Gloucestershire's Deputy Chief Constable Martin Baker said: "Before the introduction of the NCRS, we anticipated this would mean an increase in many of our recorded crime figures, particularly those for violent crime.

"However, we have still managed to make significant progress in a number of key areas.

He added: "The county remains among the safest in Britain and by working together with the community we will strive in the coming year to reduce crime, improve detections and create an even safer Gloucestershire."