Crime on the rise in Sandwell, official figures show

File photo dated 22/10/14 of a Police officer, as according to new figures, some of the UK's biggest police forces have recorded a rise in the number of violent homophobic crimes this year, with hundreds of assaults on gay and lesbian people reported to police so far in 2014 - including more than 300 in London alone. Scotland Yard recorded 1,073 violent homophobic offences between January and October, up from 1,007 in 2013 and 1,002 in 2012.

Crime has risen over the last year in Sandwell, official police records reveal.

West Midlands Police recorded 39,362 offences in Sandwell in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 29% compared to the previous year, when there were 30,498.

And, at 119.6 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 1,083 were sexual offences – an increase of 24% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the area, from 13,775 to 18,000 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by 39%, from 5,033 incidents to 6,980.

And theft offences rose by 14%, with 9,872 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 30.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Sandwell included:

1,083 sexual offences, a rise of 24%18,000 violent offences, a rise of 31%3,224 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 94%962 drug offences, up 30%663 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 83%3,927 public order offences, up 29%9,872 theft offences, a rise of 14%6,980 stalking and harassment offences, up 39%