Violent And Sexual Crimes Rise 150% In Newmarket Over Five Years
Newmarket saw three sexual offences and 33 violent crimes in 2015, but this increased to eight and 82 respectively in 2019.
Crimes of a violent or sexual nature have risen from 36 to 90 annually in Newmarket over a five year period.
They have also risen in Burwell, from 43 to 59 over the same time frame. Cambridgeshire Constabulary released the data following a Freedom of Information request.
In Newmarket, between 2015 and 2019, incidents of violence rose from 33 to 82 annually. While no incidents of stalking and harassment were recorded in 2015, 2016, or 2017, this then rose to a total of ten incidents in 2018 and 17 in 2019.
Violent crimes that didn’t result in an injury more than doubled over the five years, from 24 to 50, while violent crimes that did result in an injury rose from nine to 15 over the same time frame, peaking with 23 attacks in 2018 alone. Three sexual offences occurred in 2015, increasing to 16 in 2019.
In Burwell, incidents of violent or sexual crimes rose from 39 to 56 between 2015 and 2019. There were no instances of stalking and harassment in 2015, 2016, or 2017, yet 22 in 2019.
In December 2018, local paper Cambridgeshire Live reported that “fear has driven one man to buy a ‘ferocious’ dog and others to consider armed patrols amid violent raids on homes in Newmarket.”
The findings were made by the media literacy charity The Student View.
A police spokesperson from Cambridge Constabulary said: “There are a number of reasons why we see changes in crime trends. These include targeted police activity to drive down offences or increase reporting, or changes in the way in which crimes are recorded.
“The force has dedicated crime reduction officers, who provide the public with practical steps they can take to reduce their chances of becoming a victim of crime. While it is encouraging that to see a reduction in some crime types we will not become complacent in our efforts to ensure that we protect the most vulnerable members of our community, while tackling our most dangerous offenders.
“Improvements have also been made to how we record crime, which could have an impact on the stats. We work closely with key partners and agencies to combat crime in local areas.”