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West Midlands Police Federation

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Violent crime at all time high

16 May 2018

Violent crime is at an all-time high and officer numbers are plummeting – the Government needs to wake up.

This is the stark warning from the Police Federation following the latest Crime Survey figures which show that ‘high harm’ violent offences such as homicide, knife crime and gun crime have dramatically increased across the majority of forces over the last two years.

Serious crimes such as stalking and harassment are also up by a shocking 33.2 per cent and rape by 31 per cent across England and Wales.

John Williams, acting chair of West Midlands Police Federation, said: “These figures are quite frankly alarming. They really do reflect the ongoing struggle we face on a daily basis to keep our communities safe with fewer officers and fewer resources.

“The officers we do have are doing their absolute utmost, but we simply don’t have enough of them. The figures show a staggering 22 per cent increase in offences involving knives and other sharp instruments – that’s the highest on record for seven years. Firearm offences across England and Wales are also up by an astonishing 11 per cent.”

The figures were released by the The Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Calum Macleod, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “The latest figures are extremely concerning.

“As shocking as these crime statistics may be, they come as no real surprise to us - since 2009 the police service has lost over 21,000 officers. The majority of which come from neighbourhood and front-line policing who are the eyes and ears of our communities and are instrumental in deterring but also detecting crime.

“How much is it going to take for the Government to wake up and realise that the police service is in crisis?

“Over the last year, the country has witnessed a number of atrocious terrorist attacks and it is crucial now more than ever that the public have confidence in the police service - but how can they when the number of officers on our streets has plummeted to unsafe levels.”
“Cuts have consequences and these statistics are undeniable proof of this.”

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) also show:
· Stalking and harassment up by 33.2 per cent
· Rape up by 31 per cent and sexual offences 25 per cent
· Vehicle-related theft has risen by 17 per cent
· Burglary has risen by 9 per cent
· Firearms offences recorded rose by 11 per cent to 6,604

Calum continued: “Our recent national Demand, Capacity and Welfare survey shows that officers are buckling under pressure and struggling to cope, with demand at an all-time high and morale at its lowest. The survey found that stress and poor psychological wellbeing is widespread which is no surprise when 66 per cent of officers indicated their workload was too high and 58 per cent felt they did not have enough time to do their job to a standard of which they could be proud.”

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