It’s time for the quarterly look at the crime picture across the West Midlands. Knowing what the crime risks and rates are in our area is vital for our work and for you as residents to be alert to the threats, so we can all keep ourselves safe. It’s also the first time we are looking at the statistics since the introduction of the new local policing model in April this year, and in certain types of crime this is already having a huge impact.
As a useful metric, arrest rates are up 27% over the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. With more criminals taken off the streets (even just for the period where they are being questioned) and a strong message sent to the rest, we are pleased to see that crime rates are falling in some significant segments.
We’ll start with burglary where figures have dropped to their lowest since the summer of 2021. In the period from April to June this year 4,516 burglaries were reported compared to 5,324 in the preceding 3 month period. That represents 808 fewer incidents from Q1 to Q2 and although burglaries can change seasonally with an expected drop in the summer months, this is a larger drop than we have seen for some time. The overall drop for comparable periods, year to year, is a significant 3%.
It’s vehicle crime where the biggest drop has been seen, with a whopping 9% decrease from the comparable period in 2022. In Q1 of 2023 there were 10,130 incidents reported while in Q2 (April to June) only 8,849 were recorded. A drop of 1,281 is very significant, and likely down to the fact that the new policing model has a focus on vehicle crime, especially chop shops and thefts to order. This means far fewer vehicles are targeted because it is becoming harder to move them on and with more arrests being made for these crimes; the organised gangs running these chop shops have been destabilised.
Shoplifting has remained steady from Q1 to Q2 although looking at the general trend over the last couple of years; it is still much higher than in 2021, and continuing to creep up. There were 5,560 incidents of shoplifting between April and June this year, 26 more than over the previous three month period. This is to be expected with the continued rise in the cost of living; while some food prices have started to come down, rent, fuel and interest are still high and increasing. Until there is a significant change in the general economic picture we can expect shoplifting to keep on rising or reaching a plateau.
Bike thefts have increased by 159 incidents between Q1 and Q2 this year, with 572 thefts reported in this period. As with burglary, bike thefts change seasonally and there are always more in the summer months than in the winter due to the fact more people are riding their bikes, and more people are in the market for a cheap one. We encourage people to always lock their bike using a heavy duty chain that can’t easily be cut. Remove quick-release parts like saddles or front wheels to prevent these being stolen, and keep your bike out of sight and indoors wherever possible.
We are glad to see a reduction in some types of crime and it seems like the new policing model is working well. It will always pay to be aware of the rates and trends in crime, but when complacency creeps in is when the criminals will as well – keep your home, business, car and bike secure and safe with solutions from P&R Alarms.