Crime has risen over the last year in North Somerset, official police records reveal.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary recorded 14,848 offences in North Somerset in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That was an increase of 12% compared to the previous year, when there were 13,262.
However, at 68.9 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.
Of the crimes recorded in the area over the last 12 months, 592 were sexual offences – an increase of 54% from the year before.
Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 5,380 to 6,326 over this period.
One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 19%, from 2,271 incidents to 2,707.
And theft offences rose by 3%, with 3,324 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.
At 15.4 crimes per 1,000 people, that was lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.
Crimes recorded in North Somerset included:
- 592 sexual offences, a rise of 54%
- 6,326 violent offences, a rise of 18%
- 1,555 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 16%
- 356 drug offences, down 23%
- 122 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 5%
- 2,198 public order offences, up 9%
- 3,324 theft offences, a rise of 3%
- 2,097 stalking and harassment offences, up 19%