Crime on the rise in Coventry, 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 Coventry, official police records reveal.

West Midlands Police recorded 40,334 offences in Coventry in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 34% compared to the previous year, when there were 30,074.

And, at 106.3 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, 1,282 were sexual offences – an increase of 24% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 13,453 to 17,431 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 39%, from 4,899 incidents to 6,817.

And theft offences rose by 31%, with 10,933 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 28.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Coventry included:

1,282 sexual offences, a rise of 24%17,431 violent offences, a rise of 30%3,581 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 99%1,154 drug offences, up 49%668 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 72%3,749 public order offences, up 31%10,933 theft offences, a rise of 31%6,405 stalking and harassment offences, up 28%