Crime on the rise

AFTER two decades of consistent reductions, crime has begun to rise in Greater Manchester.

The 1 per cent increase was revealed by crime statistics, published by the Office for National Statistics, covering the 12 months to March of this year.

The areas which have seen the biggest increase are theft offences, such as burglary, mobile phone theft and shoplifting.

But there was a 4 per cent reduction in assaults where the victim is injured, bucking the national trend which has seen an increase of 3 per cent.

Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “Crimes such as shoplifting and theft are symptomatic of the societal pressures that many people in our communities face.

Concern

“It is not surprising that when so many people have got into serious debt, a small number turn to crime. Of course, it doesn’t excuse any criminal activity, and the vast majority of people are law-abiding citizens, no matter what their financial situation.

“It is also of concern that many of the crimes that have increased, such as shoplifting, are what you could call ‘entry-level’ offences where criminals start before moving on to crimes like burglary.”
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