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

Northumbria Police recorded 35,288 offences in Newcastle in the 12 months to March, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That was an increase of 23% compared to the previous year, when there were 28,746.

And, at 115.0 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, 1,523 were sexual offences – an increase of 48% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 10,097 to 12,903 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 64%, from 2,781 incidents to 4,560.

And theft offences rose by 26%, with 10,715 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 34.9 crimes per 1,000 people, that was higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in Newcastle included:

1,523 sexual offences, a rise of 48%12,903 violent offences, a rise of 28%3,363 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 29%989 drug offences, down 16%349 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 12%4,463 public order offences, up 12%10,715 theft offences, a rise of 26%3,635 stalking and harassment offences, down 2%