Crime on the rise in Nuneaton and Bedworth, 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 Nuneaton and Bedworth, official police records reveal.

Warwickshire Police recorded 11,086 offences in Nuneaton and Bedworth in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 11% compared to the previous year, when there were 10,006.

However, at 85.0 crimes per 1,000 people, that was 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, 522 were sexual offences – an increase of 33% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 4,313 to 4,789 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence without injury, which rose by 17%, from 1,695 incidents to 1,983.

Theft offences fell by 10, with 2,631 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 20.2 crimes per 1,000 people, that was lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Nuneaton and Bedworth included:

522 sexual offences, a rise of 33%4,789 violent offences, a rise of 11%1,242 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 26%311 drug offences, down 15%152 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 13%1,087 public order offences, up 31%2,631 theft offences, a slight decrease1,476 stalking and harassment offences, up 3%