Crime on the rise in South Tyneside, 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 South Tyneside, official police records reveal.

Northumbria Police recorded 13,831 offences in South Tyneside 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 12,491.

And, at 91.5 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly 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, 438 were sexual offences – an increase of 3% from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 5,068 to 5,663 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 31%, from 1,283 incidents to 1,686.

And theft offences rose by 17%, with 3,213 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 21.3 crimes per 1,000 people, that was lower than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Crimes recorded in South Tyneside included:

438 sexual offences, a rise of 3%5,663 violent offences, a rise of 12%1,739 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 25%297 drug offences, down 27%129 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, down 2%1,866 public order offences, up 3%3,213 theft offences, a rise of 17%2,136 stalking and harassment offences, up 2%